(Distributed 01/10/14) LAFAYETTE, La. – The 2014 graduates of the Louisiana Master Farmer Program were recognized at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts recently (Jan. 9).

(Distributed 01/27/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act is the first major overhaul of American food safety laws in decades. It strives to make the food supply safer, but growers and manufacturers could face a number of challenges.

(Distributed 01/31/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – A winter storm that blanketed most of Louisiana in snow and ice, shutting down schools and businesses, didn’t cause much damage to the state’s agriculture. Kurt Guidry, an LSU AgCenter economist, conducted a survey of major commodities.

(Distributed 01/30/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – More than 700 visitors enjoyed balmy temperatures and bright skies at the Arbor Day celebration at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden on Jan. 18.

(Distributed 01/30/14) The American fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) produces clusters of flowers with long, narrow, greenish-white petals that are produced in masses all along the branches.

(Distributed 01/30/14) HAMMOND, La. – The National Garden Bureau has selected echinacea, commonly known as coneflower, as its 2014 perennial of the year because of the vast assortment of flower colors and shapes available to today’s gardener. It’s also an American staple.

(Distributed 01/27/14) Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is a great plant for late-winter interest in the landscape. It is problem-free and produces small winter flowers and naturally cascading branches in February.

(Distributed 01/27/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Fiber is an essential part of any healthy diet, and it may be the key to success for people looking to lose weight. A fermentable fiber known as resistant starch, which is found in peas, beans, lentils and some grain products, could help lower body fat, according to Michael Keenan, an associate professor in the LSU AgCenter's School of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

(Distributed 01/27/14) OPELOUSAS, La. – LSU AgCenter experts urged farmers who experienced harvest problems caused by the white sugarcane aphid in grain sorghum to report their difficulties to state agriculture officials to help obtain approval for a pesticide to control the insect.

(Distributed 01/27/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Producers, processors and distributors who provide agricultural products to the New Orleans area are invited to a leadership forum to discuss ways to improve the current system.

*Distributed 01/27/14) NEW ORLEANS La. – Don LaBonte, a sweet potato breeder and director of the LSU AgCenter School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, was presented the 2014 Distinguished Service Award by the U.S. Sweet Potato Council on Jan. 21 at its annual convention.

(Distributed 01/27/14) NEW ORLEANS, La. – The latest in Louisiana sweet potato research was highlighted recently as more than 375 producers, processors and industry representatives met at the 2014 U.S. Sweet Potato Council Convention.

(Distributed 01/27/14) HAMMOND, La. – We are midwinter in Louisiana, and this is the time when people think about pruning crape myrtles. Unfortunately, these are one of the most abused trees in Louisiana’s residential and commercial landscapes.

(Distributed 01/23/14) WEST MONROE, La. – Gardening expert Melinda Myers, who also is a TV and radio host, author and columnist, was the featured speaker at this year’s annual Master Gardener’s seminar in West Monroe.

(Distributed 01/03/14) Snow Princess lobularia is a unique breakthrough in the genus for heat tolerance and extended-season performance.

(Distributed 01/22/14) WEST MONROE, La. – LSU AgCenter agents from northeast Louisiana conducted AgAlley on Jan. 15-18 to provide agricultural information to school children during the annual AgExpo.

(Distributed 01/22/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Heating bills are likely to be higher than usual this winter with the frequent freezes Louisiana has been having. Homeowners can make simple changes to help their homes run more efficiently and reduce costs.

(Distributed 01/22/14) WEST MONROE, La. – New words like wood pellets and biomass are providing a ray of hope for forest landowners who have seen nothing but low prices since the downturn in the economy.

(Distributed 01/22/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter hosted the first of four meetings on Jan. 21 on its Baton Rouge campus to help agricultural education teachers in Louisiana’s middle and high schools understand the new Jump Start program being implemented by the Department of Education.

(Distributed 01/21/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – A delegation from Vinnitsa State Agricultural University in Ukraine visited Baton Rouge Jan. 15-17 to learn how the LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture work together to recruit undergraduate and graduate students and prepare them for graduate programs and the workforce.

(Distributed 01/17/14) Varieties of Prunus mume – Japanese flowering apricot – have potential in Louisiana. Peggy Clark, Kobai and Fragrant Cloud are some of the recommended varieties.

(Distributed 01/17/14) HAMMOND, La. – Now is a great time to plant a tree in Louisiana. We observe Louisiana Arbor Day this year on Friday, Jan. 17.

(Distributed 01/17/14) WEST MONROE, La. – About 40 farmers went back to class on Jan. 16-17 as part of the Louisiana Master Farmer University.

(Distributed 01/16/14) The LSU AgCenter will hold a crop production forum for northeast Louisiana farmers on Feb. 6 in Delhi.

(Distributed 01/16/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – As many as 5,000 young people from across Louisiana will converge at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, La., for the 79th annual LSU AgCenter Livestock Show. The show, which runs from Feb. 8-15, is the statewide competition that students in 4-H and FFA livestock projects enter after placing in parish and district shows.

(Distributed 01/15/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – For the past three years, the LSU AgCenter International Programs office has been hosting scientists from around the world through the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program to assist them with research in their countries.

(Distributed 01/15/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The fatal disease Texas Phoenix palm decline, also known as date palm lethal decline, has been positively confirmed on Canary Island date palms in New Orleans, according to LSU AgCenter plant doctor Raj Singh.

(Distributed 01/14/14) ST. JOSEPH, La. – The LSU AgCenter will hold three precision agriculture workshops in early February.

(Distributed 01/14/14) LAKE CHARLES – The LSU AgCenter will hold a day-long workshop on Feb. 11 for people interested in starting businesses based on ecotourism and agriculture.

(Distributed 01/14/14) OPELOUSAS, La. – The LSU AgCenter will hold a meeting on Jan. 23 for farmers growing wheat and feed grains. The event will be held at the Opelousas Civic Center at 1638 Creswell Lane with registration at 7 a.m. and program starting at 7:45 a.m.

(Distributed 01/14/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Recent cold weather caused a slowdown in strawberry production, and that will delay some of the sales that growers were hoping for.

(Distributed 01/10/14) KAPLAN, La. – LSU President F. King Alexander visited with Vermilion Parish residents on Jan. 10 to stress his recognition of the importance of agriculture to the statewide economy.

(Distributed 01/10/14) CROWLEY, La. – LSU AgCenter experts met with rice farmers in south Louisiana recently (Jan. 6-10) to help them prepare for the upcoming growing season, with the start of planting only two months away.

(Distributed 01/10/14) he Taiwan flowering cherry (Prunus campanulata) blooms in late January through February in Louisiana.

(Distributed 01/10/14) BATON ROUGE, La. –The Louisiana initiative to improve Internet coverage in the state is providing public access computer kiosks in parishes where broadband Internet is underused or unavailable.

(Distributed 01/10/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Keeping track of one's diet doesn't have to be boring. With the help of camera-enabled smartphones, visual food diaries are easy to create and more effective for nutrition researchers.

(Distributed 01/10/14) HAMMOND, La. – Cold weather in early January has the potential to cause varying problems in our landscapes from north to south Louisiana. We have seen damage in our garden trials at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station.

(Distributed 01/09/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana sugarcane producers are wrapping up one of their best seasons ever.

(Distributed 01/08/14) FRANKLIN, La. – Louisiana sugarcane mills have begun installing new equipment that has the potential of reducing processing time and increasing capacity for processing raw sugar.

(Distributed 01/08/14) CROWLEY, La. – Two new Clearfield rice varieties have been released by the LSU AgCenter, an improved Jazzman and a medium-grain, according to Steve Linscombe, rice breeder and director of the Rice Research Station.

(Distributed 01/08/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency presented a $167,874 check to the LSU AgCenter on Jan. 8 as part of an integrated pest management program.

(Distributed 01/07/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter is cooperating with the American Rose Society Gulf District to present a midwinter workshop on rose care Feb. 7-8 at the Natchez Grant Hotel in Natchez, Miss.

(Distributed 01/06/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Cold artic air has invaded the southern United States with temperatures projected to reach about 20 degrees in south Louisiana and into the mid-teens in north Louisiana. This is the coldest in a recent string of cold nights and follows a pattern of cool weather that has predominated since mid-December.

(Distributed 01/16/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – If your home has trouble staying warm during this week’s cold snap or your next utility bill is disturbingly high, explore solutions at the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Home and Landscape Resource Center’s open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 18.

(Distributed 01/06/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana is experiencing record cold weather, with lows forecast to dip into the upper 10s and lower 20s across the state. While the freezing temperatures will negatively affect some agriculture operations, farmers may also see some benefits.

(Distributed 01/04/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill offers suggestions to protect your landscape plants before a freeze. First, make sure they are well-watered.

(Distributed 01/04/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana citrus tree owners need to take precautions to protect their trees during cold snaps this winter, according to LSU AgCenter extension horticulturist Dan Gill.

(Distributed 01/03/14) HAMMOND, La. – Many residents of southeast Louisiana may not know that the LSU AgCenter has an agricultural experiment station in that area devoted to horticulture research and extension programs to aid the commercial nursery and landscape industry, as well as home gardeners.

(Distributed 01/03/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana photographers who want to submit photographs for the LSU AgCenter 2015 Get It Growing Lawn and Garden Calendar have only a few weeks to enter.