(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.

(Audio News 02/03/14) A winter storm that blanketed most of Louisiana in snow and ice, shutting down roads, schools and businesses, took a toll on the state’s strawberry crop. As temperatures rose following the freeze, Ponchatoula strawberry farmer Eric Morrow pulled back the row covers that protect his crop to survey the damage. (Runtime: 1:30)

(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.

(Audio 01/27/14) Ground covers are low-growing, evergreen plants that work nicely in shady areas of lawns where grass won't grow. They can also lower the maintenance of lawns. Ground covers are hardy and can be planted this time of the year. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(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.

(Audio 01/27/14) Even with all the cold weather we've had, gardeners can still find mild days to do bed preparation. This is very helpful for vegetable gardens. Listen to learn how to do proper bed preparation. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/27/14) Late January and early February is a good time to plant roses. Gardeners can find roses at local nurseries. The earlier you get them in, the more time they have to establish before the warm weather arrives. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/27/14) Most people have a few plants growing indoors. To keep houseplants healthy and happy, they must get the right amount of light. Keep them by a clean window and pull back curtains or blinds to get the maximum amount of light. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/27/14) Louisiana has seen some really cold weather this winter. Many tropical plants have been damaged by the freezes. Gardeners can cut back herbaceous tropical plants like cannas, but should wait until spring to cut back woody tropical plants like hibiscus or angel trumpets. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Video 01/27/14) Your smartphone can help you get healthy. Calorie-counting apps are making people more aware of the nutrition content of their food. Nutritionists also are using smartphone technology to help clients. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has this report. (Runtime: 1:57)

(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.

(Video News 1/23/14) Louisiana is having a cold winter and along with staying comfortable, home heating costs can be a concern. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard talks with a housing specialist about ways to make a home more efficient. (Runtime: 1:554)

(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.

(Audio 01/22/14) Celika Murphy lost 85 pounds with the help of a program through Pennington Biomedical Research Center, but a simple calorie-counting app on her smartphone is helping her keep it off. Murphy is sticking to a 1,200-calorie diet and logs her meals and snacks daily. (Runtime: 1:50)

(Video 01/27/14) It’s an ideal time to plant fruit trees and bushes now. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains crucial tips to keep in mind when purchasing your fruit plants. (Runtime: 1:36)

(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.

(Audio 01/21/14) Heating bills could be high this winter with the frequent freezes we’ve been having. Homeowners can make simple changes to help their homes run more efficiently and reduce costs. LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel says sealing air leaks should be the first step. (Runtime: 1:50)

(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.

(Audio 01/20/14) The winter vegetable garden has fewer pest problems than the summer garden. There are some pests that remain active during winter. Caterpillars, aphids, snails and slugs can damage vegetables in winter. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/20/14) Mealy bugs are small sucking insects. They can become a problem on indoor plants. Look for small cottony masses on the underside of leaves or in the crevices of the plant. Indoor houseplant insecticide spray can help control them. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(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.

(Audio 01/20/14) January is a great month to plant camellias. A great thing about camellias is they are in bloom when it is time to plant them. When you go to the nursery you can see the plants in bloom, making it easier to decide what variety you prefer. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/20/14) In Louisiana, gardeners prune their roses in late January or early February. Pruning roses helps reduce the size of the bush and makes them more attractive. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(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.

(Audio 01/20/14) It is important for gardeners to understand that fertilizer is a tool we use to provide adequate supplies of nutrients to plants. When plants are dormant and not growing, they do not need those extra nutrients so there is no reason to fertilize them. Plants that are in active growth this time of the year can be fertilized. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(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.

(Video News 01/09/14) Farmers are finishing the state’s sugarcane harvest. Cold weather during the crop’s development and harvest didn’t damage the cane too much, and LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard says yields are some of the best farmers have seen. (Runtime: 1:33)

(Audio 01/13/14) Gardeners use a wide variety of products in their gardens. Many of these, such as insecticides and fungicides, may break down over time, but this doesn't apply to fertilizers. They stay viable indefinitely. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(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.

(Video 01/13/14) Hard freezes have impacted plants throughout Louisiana. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains how to prune back damaged tropicals and how to protect them through the rest of the winter. (Runtime: 1:49)

(Video 01/20/14) Freezes may have killed your favorite plants, but unfortunately, weeds in your lawn don’t go away as easily. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill describes the proper herbicides to use to tackle pesky weeds during winter. (Runtime: 1:37)

(Audio 01/13/14) One of the popular ways that gardeners propagate plants is to use cuttings. A cutting is a piece of a plant that you remove and root to make a new plant. This time of the year you can take hardwood cuttings from plants such as roses, figs and hydrangeas. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/13/14) Many plants in your landscape are dormant at this time. You can easily prune deciduous trees while with their leaves off. Gardeners can also prune summer-flowering trees such as crape myrtles and vitex without affecting the flowering. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/13/14) Leaves can be valuable as compost. If you started a compost pile with all the fallen leaves, keep it moist and turn it if needs it. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/13/14) The depths of winter are the best time to plant hardy trees and shrubs in your landscape. You can add shade trees or decorative trees this month. Arbor Day is the third Friday in January in Louisiana. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(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.

(Audio News 01/07/14) In a week where temperatures dipped into the 20s, farmers wrapped up the state’s sugarcane harvest. LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois says the crop ended like it started, on a cold note. (Runtime: 1:30)

(Audio News 01/06/14) With temperatures dipping into the teens across much of Louisiana, some landscape plants can be damaged. Tropical plants can be killed back by a freeze. LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill says if you are not able to protect them, you may see damage. (Runtime: 1:25)

(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.

(Video News 01/04/14) For all major agricultural commodities, 2013 was a really good year, making it the second year in a row Louisiana farmers saw high yields and good prices. (Runtime: 1:26)

(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.

(Video News 01/04/14) Youngsters on all-terrain vehicles are common in Louisiana, and some kids across the state may have even gotten one for Christmas. Several 4-H agents participated in a training program so they can go back into their parishes and hold ATV safety training courses for youth. (Runtime: 1:54)

(Audio 01/06/14) It is wonderful to have plants indoors. In winter, you may have more plants inside. Make sure your plants are getting enough light. If you have plants that are not doing well, try moving them to a sunnier spot. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/06/14) Parsley is used often in Louisiana cooking. It garnishes food and makes the plate attractive. Parsley can also be decorative in the garden. Now is a good time to plant this herb. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/06/14) It is too early to plant things such as tomatoes and eggplants into the garden. But now is a good time to start growing your own transplants. It takes about eight weeks to grow transplants, so decide when you want to plant them into your garden and start your transplants eight weeks ahead. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/06/14) Foxgloves, delphiniums and hollyhocks will do well in Louisiana gardens if planted early. Try the Camelot foxglove, which is a Louisiana Super Plant. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 01/06/14) In early January, gardeners can plant tulips and hyacinth bulbs that have been refrigerated. The plants come from cold climates and require chilling. Plant them in clusters or groups rather than in single rows. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(For Release On Or After 01/31/14) Few shrubs or trees are best purchased and planted while they are in bloom. One notable shrub, however, is currently in glorious bloom, and right now is an excellent time to plant it into your landscape.

(For Release On Or After 01/24/14) In the gardening world, “spring fever” is that time of the year when gardeners flock to nurseries in droves to buy flowers, shrubs, trees and other types of plants by the truckload. During that time, a frenzy of planting takes place, and the nurseries are crowded most weekends.

(For Release On Or After 01/17/14) Small, intimate gardens are typical in most landscapes. Even when yards are relatively large, small-scale plantings close to the house and around outdoor living areas are common.

(For Release On Or After 01/10/14) It is not unusual for rainy weather to be an issue in late winter or early spring in Louisiana. Rain is common in late December, January and February. March is often stormy.

(For Release On Or After 01/03/14) Virtually all trees in our landscapes will need to be pruned during their lives – particularly in the first two decades after planting. Sometimes a tree may need to be pruned in some way to help it, such as dealing with storm damage, reducing limb weight, removing dead limbs and stopping the spread of disease.