(Distributed 10/31/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – A delegation of Chinese educators and researchers attended the signing of a Letter of Intent on Oct. 29 in Baton Rouge to collaborate with LSU and LSU AgCenter scientists.

(Video News 10/31/13) Sweet potatoes are common on the Thanksgiving dinner table, but now this fall favorite is consumed year-round. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard takes a look at Louisiana’s sweet potato harvest. (Runtime: 1:18)

(Distributed 10/31/13) CROWLEY, La. – The Louisiana Rice Research Board reviewed a number of proposals from LSU AgCenter scientists and agreed Tuesday to provide $1.29 million for next year’s projects to help Louisiana rice farmers.

(Distributed 10/31/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter is offering a prescribed burning workshop with burner certification at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station Dec. 11-13.

(Distributed 10/31/13) CHASE, La. – Sweet potatoes are common on the Thanksgiving dinner table, but now this fall favorite is consumed year-round. Sweet potato farmers are busy getting this year’s crop out of the ground. LSU AgCenter sweet potato specialist Mavis Finger said the yield so far is average, and the quality is good.

(Distributed 10/31/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden has received a national award for the design of its All-America Selections Display Garden. This 50-foot-by-200-foot garden features flowers and vegetables recommended by All-America Selections, a nonprofit organization.

(Distributed 10/30/13) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Cattle producers, row crop farmers and timber owners earned certification credit at a two-day Master Farmer University course on the LSU campus in Alexandria on Oct. 24-25.

(Distributed 10/23/13) OAK GROVE, La. – Cars were lined up for a mile trying to get into the Family Fall Fest at the Thomas Jason Lingo Center on a sunny Saturday morning on Oct. 12, reported Brenda Bradley as she arrived. Bradley, a member of the town council here, was one of the planners for this event, which attracted more than 400 men, women and children of all shapes, ages and sizes from across West Carroll Parish.

(Distributed 10/30/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – On an average day, most people wouldn’t think of insects and soldiers as being synonymous, but a recent lecture on the LSU campus shows just how often insects have been used as weapons of war through the ages.

(Distributed 10/29/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – About 50 people wanting to improve their vegetable gardening skills participated in the New and Beginning Vegetable Farm Training at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden on Oct. 23.

(Distributed 10/29/13) POLLOCK, La. – The final donation to build the multipurpose center at 4-H Camp Grant Walker was made by AT&T on Oct. 28, clearing the way for the possibility that the facility could be available for campers in 2014. Danny Wilson, of AT&T, delivered a check for $30,000 to Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture. Two previous donations by AT&T during the past two years totaled $50,000.

(Distributed 10/28/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU’s football team was not the only winner on campus during the 2013 homecoming festivities. The College of Agriculture presented three awards at the annual alumni tailgate party on Oct. 26.

(Distributed 10/18/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – James L. Griffin, the Lee F. Mason LSU Alumni Association Professor in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, has been named graduate student recruiter in the LSU College of Agriculture.

(Distributed 10/25/13) An exceptional, blue-flowered, cool-season bedding plant called Diamonds Blue delphinium (Delphinium chinensis Diamonds Blue) is a Louisiana Super Plants selection for fall 2013.

(Distributed 10/25/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – Eric Webster, an F. Avalon Daggett Professor in the LSU AgCenter School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, has been named to the position of assistant regional director in the AgCenter’s Southwest Region.

(Distributed 10/25/13) HAMMOND, La. – Many home gardeners know the tall, cut-flower-type delphiniums. These are excellent plants for the cool-season landscape in Louisiana.

(Distributed 10/25/13) THORNWELL, La. – The No. 2 official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assured farmers Thursday (Oct. 24) that he will make sure the agency is moving forward with its review of a blackbird repellent used to protect rice seed.

(Audio 10/28/13) Louisiana wildflowers put on an outstanding display in fall. Look around and notice what nature does every year. Some of the plants to look for are goldenrod, asters and narrow-leaf sunflowers. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 10/23/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter research being conducted shows that farmers who grow multiple crops may benefit from applying some nutrients during fall if soil tests are completed first.

(Audio 10/28/13) As we move into fall, gardeners may wonder what to fertilizer. LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill says generally nothing. We want trees and shrubs to go dormant, and they won't benefit from fertilizer. The exceptions include cool-season plants and perennials that grow this time of the year. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/28/13) It is a little early to see a lot of leaves dropping out of your trees. But next month there will be leaves to deal with. Don't rake, bag them and throw them out. Instead consider composting them or using them as mulch. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/28/13) Storms and high winds are common during Louisiana's summers. As a result you may have broken limbs in your trees. Look at your trees and call an arborist if you have ragged stubs or limbs that may fall. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/28/13) You may hear about winterizing your lawn in fall. This means applying potassium to our lawns. Plants need potassium during winter, but winterizing is optional. If you do, make sure to buy the correct winterizer for Louisiana lawns. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Video 10/28/13) Now is a great time to plant hardy shrubs. Maybe one of the best-smelling of all those shrubs is the gardenia. But as LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill points out on this edition of Get It Growing, if you want those great smells from nice, white flowers in the spring, you want to avoid pruning your gardenias at this time. (Runtime: 1:33)

(Video 10/21/13) Now is a great time to plant cool-season herbs. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill introduces you to chives – an herb with beautiful flowers and tasty foliage. (Runtime: 1:35)

(Distributed 10/22/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter recommends planting broccoli in fall vegetable gardens, and October is a perfect month for planting transplants or small seedlings.

(Video News 10/17/13) Yields are high for Louisiana’s cotton crop LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard reports that good weather and good land have farmers reaching for a record. (Runtime: 1:36)

(Distributed 10/21/13) WINNSBORO, La. – A complex set of federal food safety regulations will affect many producers of agricultural products and require more record keeping, an LSU AgCenter specialist told fruit and vegetable growers at the Northeast Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference here on Oct. 17.

(Audio News 10/18/13) Colors abound as hibiscus, impatiens and Drift roses put on a show at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station. The station opened its door to landscapers and gardeners to inform and show them the latest ornamentals and woody plants. A goal of the station is to find the best plants for Louisiana’s growing conditions. (Runtime: 1:50)

The Southern sugar maple is a great deciduous tree for fall foliage color in Louisiana.

(Distributed 10/17/13) HAMMOND, La. – The ideal planting time for cool-season bedding plants in Louisiana runs from late September through early December. Some of our common cool-season flowers prefer the earlier planting dates while others prefer the later dates.

(Audio 10/07/13) Chrysanthemums start showing up in nurseries in September. October is a better month to plant them. The cooler days allow the plants to last longer. They are also great in pots on porches, on patios and indoors. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 10/07/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU Food Incubator has received a $20,500 grant from the Louisiana Economic Development Business Incubator Support Program.

(Audio 10/25/13) Diamonds Blue delphiniums are a Louisiana Super Plant for fall 2013. They are a low-growing variety of delphiniums that are a true blue color. Plant them now, and they will bloom in fall and winter and put on the best show in spring. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/24/13) A wide variety of hardy herbs can be planted this time of the year. These herbs won't be hurt by the cold weather. They will need a well-drained, sunny location. Consider planting herbs such as chives, oregano, sage, thyme and lavender. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/23/13) Now through February is the best time to plant fruit trees. A fall planting allow them to get established and send out strong roots. Don't expect a good harvest the first few years, and be sure to plant varieties suitable for Louisiana. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/22/13) Broccoli is a great cool-season vegetable to grow. Harvesting broccoli can be tricky. Gardeners may wait for the head to be a certain size before harvesting. This can lead to the broccoli flowering. Don't go by the size of the head, but rather the size of the buds. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/21/13) Fall is the best time of the year to plant hardy trees and shrubs. These plants are not bothered by winter cold and establish well in the cool days of autumn. Roses, camellias and azaleas are all good to plant now. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 10/16/13) HAMMOND, La. – The latest research findings from ongoing studies, information about new pests and tours of the gardens at the Hammond Research Station highlighted a field day held on Oct. 10.

(Distributed 10/15/13) WINNSBORO, La. – As cotton harvest in Louisiana comes to an end, farmers are seeing record high yields, although the cotton acreage is at a record low, according to David Kerns, LSU AgCenter cotton specialist.

(Distributed 10/14/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – It may be a bit of culture shock for the LSU AgCenter’s new extension plant pathologist, but she is excited about the opportunity to provide horticultural information to citizens across the state.

(Distributed 10/11/13) Louisiana gardeners are always looking for nice trees for the landscape. The sweet bay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) is an excellent native tree that is not nearly as well known as it should be.

(Distributed 10/11/13) WINNFIELD, La. – An 11-year-old 4-H Club member in Winn Parish has won a national award from the American Heart Association for her service-learning project that involved her entire school in a healthful living program.

(Distributed 10/11/13) HAMMOND, La. – The LSU AgCenter is increasing work at the Hammond Research Station to select and breed new ornamental plants for the state’s growing nursery and landscape industry.

(Distributed 10/11/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU chapter of the national society of MANRRS held its kickoff meeting in the LSU Student Union on Oct. 2 to let students know that the chapter is back and ready to regain its name recognition.

(Audio News 10/09/13) Louisiana had record low cotton acres this year, but farmers may be harvesting record high yields according to David Kerns, LSU AgCenter cotton specialist. Farmers planted about 128,000 acres. Kerns said much of that was concentrated in areas that typically see higher yields. (Runtime: 1:30)

(Audio 10/14/13) Hydrangeas are wonderful flowering shrubs. Gardeners looking to change the color of their hydrangeas can add amendments to the soil this month. If you want blue hydrangeas, apply aluminum sulfate. For pink hydrangeas, put lime around them. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 10/09/13) GRAMERCY, La. – Students in St. James Parish now have a new kitchen to prepare vegetables they grow on Fast Food Farm, thanks to a $90,000 grant from the Mosaic Company.

(Distributed 10/07/13) OPELOUSAS, La. – An LSU AgCenter cattle researcher told producers the use of ultrasound technology to get a glimpse of an animal’s beef quality removes the mystery out of buying cattle and can result in better prices at the sale barn.

(Distributed 10/07/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter LaHouse Home and Landscape Resource Center will host its seasonal Saturday open house on Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

(Audio 10/13/14) Caladiums are going dormant. October is the time to dig up the tubers for storage during winter. Do this while there is still foliage attached to the tubers. Let the foliage turn brown, and it will detach easily. Store the tubers indoors. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/14/13) Most summer bulbs can be left in the ground and will survive our winters. Simply cut back the foliage when it turns brown and keep the ground mulched. Caladiums and hybrid gladiolus do better dug up and stored for the winter. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/14/13) Many cool-season vegetables are pretty enough to plant in the flower garden. Curly-leaf parsley makes a nice garden border. Some kales and Swiss chards have great texture and color. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/14/13) Camellias are popular in Louisiana. They are relatively pest free, but they do have one issue, the camellia tea scale. This insect can be controlled with an oil or systemic spray. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 10/07/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter’s 2014 Get It Growing Calendar is now available.

(Distributed 10/07/13) The first Louisiana Super Plants from the LSU AgCenter for fall 2013 is the Drift series of roses.

(Audio 10/07/13) Gardeners crave color in the landscape. Many cool-season plants will provide wonderful color, but sweet pea also has a fantastic fragrance. Sweet pea can be planted now and needs a fence or trellis to climb on. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 10/04/13) HAMMOND, La. – Fall is the best time of the year to garden in Louisiana, and it’s a great time to consider trees. Landscapes typically have trees as one of the dominant features.

(Audio News 10/04/13) Debbie Melvin is spending eight Monday evenings with a group of women helping them form healthy habits they can have for the rest of their lives. Melvin, an LSU AgCenter nutrition agent in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, has been teaching Smart Portions classes for five years. The program arms participants with knowledge necessary to make positive lifestyle changes that can lead to a healthy weight. (Runtime: 1:55)

(Distributed 10/03/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – For the past 46 years, LSU College of Agriculture Dean Ken Koonce has been associated with the university system. On Oct. 7, he will retire and open the next chapter of his life.

(Video 10/07/13) In many parts of Louisiana, fall doesn’t include all the oranges, reds, and yellows you might see farther north. But you can simulate that fall-like look for your landscape by planting mums. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill provides some useful tips on selecting chrysanthemums that meet your particular needs. (Runtime: 1:31)

(Audio 10/07/13) Louisiana gardeners who want to plant strawberries need to do so soon. Check nurseries and garden centers for strawberry plants. These should be planted in well-prepared beds in full sun. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/07/13) Louisiana gardeners do have options for cool-season plants that do well in shady areas. Plants such as Camelot foxglove, Swan columbine and forget-me-nots will grow in the shade, but could use some morning sun. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 10/07/13) October is a great time to plant cool-season bedding plants into your gardens. These include pansies, dianthus and ornamental vegetables. Plant them now for flowers in fall and spring. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 10/02/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – PotashCorp, of Geismer, La., recently donated $25,000 to the LSU AgCenter’s youth livestock development program.

(Video 10/14/13) When you look at a fall landscape dotted with warm red shades, you wouldn’t expect to see tropical plants. But, cigar plants are hardy, perennial tropicals that bloom profusely in the fall. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains how these beautiful cigar plants, also called cigar flowers, work great in your fall flower beds. (Runtime: 1:36)

(Distributed 10/01/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – A new invasive scale insect has been infesting crape myrtles in Shreveport and Dallas and possibly in Houma and Lafayette.

(Distributed 10/02/13) GONZALES, La. – Since 2007, Master Gardeners in Ascension Parish have been taking on projects to beautify the parish and provide information to get others involved in gardening and landscape improvement.

(Distributed 10/01/13) ALEXANDRIA, La. – The Louisiana Master Farmer program will offer a two-day workshop – called Master Farmer University – at LSU in Alexandria on Oct. 24-25, in which participants will be able to complete the first two of three phases of the program.

(Distributed 10/01/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse Resource Center will conduct a mold control and remediation training course Oct. 22-24.

(For Release On Or After 10/25/13) An exceptional, blue-flowered, cool-season bedding plant called Diamonds Blue delphinium (Delphinium chinensis Diamonds Blue) is a Louisiana Super Plants selection for fall 2013.

(For Release On Or After 10/18/13) In the South, the term “greens” refers to vegetables whose leaves are cooked until tender. During cool fall temperatures, mustard, turnip, collards and other greens flourish in the vegetable garden. And now is an excellent time to plant them.

(For Release On Or After 10/04/13) A great new series of low-growing landscape roses, called Drift roses, has been named a Louisiana Super Plants selection for fall 2013. Fall is a great time to plant roses – they establish very well in the cooler weather and provide outstanding color to the fall garden.

(For Release On Or After 10/11/13) Caladiums are among the most reliable summer bedding plants for providing color in shady areas and even in sunny beds. They stay attractive despite the intense heat of summer and are rarely bothered by insects or disease.