(Distributed 12/19/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Master Gardeners in northeast Louisiana will hold their 5th annual gardening seminar at the West Monroe Convention Center from 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Jan. 17.

(Distributed 12/19/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – John Gaspard doesn’t think he is following in his parents’ footsteps. Although the path he is taking is similar to theirs. On Friday, Dec. 19, Gaspard, a science teacher at Rougon Elementary School in Point Coupee Parish, received a doctorate from LSU in human resource education and workforce development.

(Distributed 12/19/14) HAMMOND, La. – Amaryllis is a popular holiday plant. Bulbs are commonly available from November to late December. Forcing them to bloom during winter is not difficult, and the results are beautiful.

(Distributed 12/18/14) WINNSBORO, La. – The LSU AgCenter will hold a workshop on cover crops and soil health on Jan. 21 at the Macon Ridge Research Station. Registration and refreshments will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Tom H. Scott Extension and Education Center, which is at the station. The workshop will start at 9 a.m.

(Distributed 12/17/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The annual forestry forum held in conjunction with the AgExpo at the West Monroe Convention Center is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon on Jan. 16.

(Distributed 12/15/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Twenty-one members of the LSU AgCenter faculty and staff were recognized for their outstanding effort and career contributions at an awards ceremony held Dec. 15 at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden.

(Distributed 12/15/14) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Forage producers discussed the benefits of different forage systems and human nutrition at the Louisiana Forage and Grass Council’s annual conference on Dec. 5.

(Distributed 12/15/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter and the Prevention Research Center at Tulane University have been working with local stakeholders to identify behavioral health needs of Orleans Parish residents and are sharing best practices for improving community behavioral health.

(Distributed 12/15/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Thirty-six Louisiana 4-H Club members attended the 93rd annual National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Nov. 28-Dec. 2. The delegation earned the trip by winning contests at 4-H University, which took place in June 2014.

(Distributed 12/12/14) Although plentiful in the appalachian Mountains, rhododendrons don’t show up much in Louisiana. Our heat and humidity usually lead to poor landscape performance. But a new series of heat-tolerant rhododendrons for the Lower South have been developed in Louisiana by Dr. John Thornton of Franklinton.