(Distributed 03/31/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Although agriculture is a vital $11.8 billion industry in Louisiana, many children do not realize the role it plays in their daily lives.

(Distributed 03/31/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden has received a $20,000 donation from Weyerhaeuser through its Giving Fund for construction of a pavilion that will expand the Trees & Trails educational program.

(Distributed 03/28/14) ST. GABRIEL, La. – Louisiana sugar producers may one day have a stake in the U.S. plastics industr, with the help of LSU AgCenter researchers.

(Distributed 03/28/14) Most folks do not know about cat whiskers (Orthosiphon stamineus).

(Distributed 03/28/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s wetlands are places to work, visit and enjoy. They are also places to learn. During the week of April 21-25, the LSU AgCenter’s Youth Wetlands program will be recognizing these diverse environments statewide through a variety of classroom lessons and wetlands activities.

(Distributed 03/28/14) HAMMOND, La. – Since the debut of a landscape horticulture research and extension program at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station seven years ago, gardens supporting the research at the station continue to expand.

(Distributed 03/25/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Appreciating the cultural diversity of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico region could aid in understanding how the oil industry has affected society, says sociologist Mark Schafer.He is studying how various demographic groups in the region have changed over the years.

(Distributed 03/27/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Only three billion of the seven billion people in the world are well-nourished, according to Lindsay Allen, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service Western Human Nutrition Research Center. She said this is a problem in both wealthy and poor countries.

(Distributed 03/26/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana State University Library recently completed digitizing approximately 20,000 pages of the “Sugar Bulletin,” the monthly publication of the American Sugar Cane League.

(Distributed 03/26/14) CROWLEY, La. – Dustin Harrell, LSU AgCenter agronomist at the Rice Research Station near Crowley, is participating in a multi-state study on arsenic in rice to determine if levels of the element are higher in different varieties and to see if varied flooding methods affect arsenic content

(Distributed 03/24/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – For the second year in a row, Louisiana farmers had record-breaking values for many of their commodities, which led to a new high value of $11.8 billion for the agriculture sector of the Louisiana economy in 2013 – up 3.8 percent from 2012.

(Distributed 03/21/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Unusually cold temperatures in north Louisiana parishes are expected to have killed 90 percent of the salvinia weevils used to combat the invasive aquatic plant giant salvinia, which is clogging waterways across Louisiana, according to LSU AgCenter weed scientist Dearl Sanders.

(Distributed 03/21/14) A Louisiana Super Plant to consider for this spring is the Bandana lantana.

(Distributed 03/21/14) HAMMOND, La. – Six bedding plants have been named national All-America Selection winners for the 2014 gardening season. They include Serenita Pink angelonia, Florific Sweet Orange New Guinea impatiens, Sparkle White gaura, NuMex Easter ornamental pepper, Akila Daisy White osteospermum and African Sunset petunia.

(Distributed 03/21/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden has received a $10,000 grant from Dow Chemical through its DowGives program for construction of a Children’s Garden Outdoor Classroom to serve as a teaching shelter, sound barrier and protection from the sun.

(Distributed 03/19/14) WINNSBORO, La. – About one percent of Louisiana’s corn crop is in the ground. This is unusual for mid-March when farmers typically have much of the crop planted.

(Distributed 03/20/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Commercial greenhouse vegetable production is becoming increasingly popular in Louisiana. While there are benefits to local production, even small-scale growers must learn how to prevent and manage diseases.

(Distributed 03/19/14) HAMMOND, La. – For nearly a decade, those involved in the forest industry have suffered considerable losses, but experts say the current trends seem to be brighter with more interest in wood products.

(Distributed 03/19/14) HOUMA, La. -- The LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant held a seafood summit March 12 and 13 to provide information to help coastal residents who make their living from the seafood industry.

(Distributed 03/17/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – More than 500 gardeners from throughout the Southeast are expected in Baton Rouge for the Southern Region Master Gardener Conference Oct. 21-24.

CROWLEY, La. – Rice farmers across Louisiana learned how the new farm bill will affect their operations in a series of meetings held by the LSU AgCenter and the USA Rice Federation. Large crowds showed up for the meetings held in Abbeville, Kinder, Crowley, Alexandria and Rayville.

(Distributed 03/14/14) Blooming from late March to early May, the Louisiana iris is a floral ambassador that has carried our state’s name all over the world.

(Distributed 03/14/14) BATON ROUGE, La – A distinguished researcher and educator will talk on improving the quality of diets across the globe on March 26 as part of an annual endowed lecture series on the LSU campus.

(Distributed 03/14/14) HAMMOND, La. – Gardeners who have shied away from growing roses because of the fungicides and care needed to grow them can take heart in a recently completed research project conducted by the LSU AgCenter and the American Rose Society at the Gardens of the American Rose Center in Shreveport.

(Distributed 03/14/14) POLLOCK, La. – The Louisiana 4-H program has again received the $30,000 Eat4-Health grant through National 4-H and United Healthcare.

(Distributed 03/14/14) ALEXANDRIA, La. – The 2014 Central Louisiana Garden Expo will be held at the State Evacuation Shelter in Alexandria on April 11-12.

(Distributed 03/13/14) NEW ORLEANS, La. – The 2014 New Orleans Spring Garden Show will be held at the City Park Botanical Garden April 5-6 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day.

(Distributed 03/13/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – A field day for people who raise sheep and goats is scheduled for April 26 at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine on Skip Bertman Dr.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Although Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2010, the Food and Drug Administration is still in the process of developing rules to enforce the law. The rules seek to enhance safety regulations by requiring more documentation and shifting the focus to prevention rather than response.

(Distributed 03/12/14) WINNSBORO, La. – LSU AgCenter experts will conduct a wheat and oat field day on April 16 at the Macon Ridge Research Station just south of Winnsboro, La.

(Distributed 03/12/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – A Lead Certified Renovator Training will be held at the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Resource Center on the LSU campus on March 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

(Distributed 03/12/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – A training session on mold control and remediation will be held at the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Resource Center on the LSU campus March 19-21 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.

(Distributed 03/11/14) JEANERETTE, La. – More than 150 people attended the 2014 Beef Cattle Producers Annual Spring Field Day held at the LSU AgCenter Iberia Research Station on March 8.

(Distributed 03/07/14) Mayhaws are one of the most widely known of the native fruit tree species found in Louisiana.

(Distributed 03/07/14) SHREVEPORT, La. – The director of the Louisiana Forestry Association said companies using Louisiana wood products to make biofuels want to know how they can make sure feedstocks are obtained from sustainable sources.

(Distributed 03/07/14) WINNSBORO, La. – To help farmers sort through the hundreds of apps available to aid with agricultural production, an LSU AgCenter soil scientist has begun posting online reviews.

(Distributed 03/07/14) HAMMOND, La. – Spring is near. We have many wonderful plants coming into flower and foliage this time of year, but our landscapes also have diseases, insects and weeds that need to be monitored and dealt with when appropriate.

(Distributed 03/07/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The 12th annual Baton Rouge Spring Garden Show is set for March 29-30 at the John M. Parker Coliseum on Highland Road in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 03/06/14) WEST MONROE, La. – The Northeast Louisiana Master Gardeners will hold their sixth annual plant sale at the West Monroe Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 5.

(Distributed 03/06/14) WINNSBORO, La. – There’s a new pest infiltrating Louisiana sorghum crops, and producers should be on the lookout, according to LSU AgCenter scientists.

(Distributed 03/05/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Over the past few weeks, the winter wheat crop has gone through the gamut of late winter and early spring conditions, said LSU AgCenter wheat specialist Josh Lofton.

(Distributed 02/28/14) Osteospermums are becoming more popular as cool-season-to-warm-season transition bedding plants in the landscape. These plants are commonly referred to as African daisy.