(Distributed 07/17/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Tim Sandles is not usually one to venture outside of his comfort zone. The LSU graduate student from Madisonville, Texas, studying agricultural education decided to push himself this summer when he signed up for a study abroad program in Europe.

(Distributed 07/31/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – An LSU team took third place in the southern division of the National Weed Contest on July 21.

(Distributed 07/31/15) An ornamental grass worthy of increased use in Louisiana is switchgrass, also known as panicum.

(Distributed 07/31/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Nicholas Adams and Chelsea Sutherland, both seniors in the LSU College of Agriculture studying agricultural education, have been selected for the Upper Division Agricultural Education Scholarship from the National Association of Agricultural Educators.

(Distributed 07/31/15) HAMMOND, La. – We are still a couple months away from fall, but there are several plants to consider now that will be showstoppers come October.

(Distributed 07/29/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter economist Kurt Guidry is conducting a survey to find out how the AgCenter can better serve industry stakeholders through research and extension programs.

(Distributed 07/29/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Representatives from a Nicaraguan organization that works to improve rural life through agriculture research and outreach visited the LSU AgCenter this week (July 27-28) to learn about its programs.

(Distributed 07/28/15) BASTROP, La. – Blistering hot temperatures didn’t deter growers and interested community members from attending the annual Black Farmers Field Day in Collinston on July 24.

(Distributed 07/28/15) RACELAND, La. – Two 4-H students have used their personal tragedies to warn others about the deadly hazards of impaired driving.

(Distributed 07/27/15) ST. MARTINVILLE, La. – The yield advantage of growing double-drill rows of sugarcane on 8-foot beds is being explored by the Louisiana sugar industry, said Kenneth Gravois, LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist.

(Distributed 07/24/15) The premier crape myrtle in Louisiana historically has been Natchez.

(Distributed 07/24/15) FERRIDAY, La. – Attendees of a recent tour of northeastern Louisiana farms heard about research they can put in practice to help farmers’ bottom lines, including ways to make the most of irrigation.

(Distributed 07/24/15) HAMMOND, La. – A tough plant that will keep blooming through summer and into fall, gomphrena likes really high temperatures. Also called globe amaranth, legend has it that the original planting was at the gates of Hades.

(Distributed 07/23/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel was in the midst of completing her dream project – building a sustainable demonstration home specifically designed for Louisiana’s hot and humid climate and able to withstand hazards common to the area such as hurricanes, flooding and termites.

(Distributed 07/23/15) RAYVILLE, La. – The differences in growing rice in north and south Louisiana create the need for researchers to study how farmers can adapt their practices to fit the varied environments, an LSU AgCenter expert said Tuesday (July 21).

(Distributed 07/22/15) HAMMOND, La. – Shade-loving hostas are ranked the No. 1 herbaceous perennial in the United States, and for good reason, said LSU AgCenter horticulturist Yan Chen.

(Distributed 07/20/15) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Ninety educators from across the state gathered at the Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center in downtown Alexandria for the Foodapalooza: Farm to School Edition on July 14.

(Distributed 07/17/15) Sunflowers are among the easiest flowers to grow, and their flowers thrive in the heat of our summers. You can add sunflowers to a garden or landscape now for flowers by late summer or early fall.

(Distributed 07/17/15) HAMMOND, La. – Since the debut of a landscape horticulture research and extension program at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station nine years ago, gardens supporting the research at the station continue to expand.

(Distributed 07/17/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Oppressive heat was not a deterrent for hobby fig growers and others interested in learning at the annual fig field day held at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden on July 11.

(Distributed 07/17/15) NEW ORLEANS – Farm-to-school supporters heard about ways to increase the use of locally grown produce in schools at a regional meeting on Wednesday (July 16).

(Distributed 07/17/15) ST. GABRIEL, La. – Two potential new sugarcane varieties for Louisiana are entering their final year of evaluation, LSU AgCenter plant breeders told producers and industry representatives at the 33rd annual sugar field day on July 15 at the AgCenter Sugar Research Station.

(Distributed 07/17/15) MINDEN, La. – Efforts are underway in north Louisiana to slow the spread of an invasive species that threatens to destroy native ash trees. The trees play an important part in bottomland ecosystems and also have an economic value to the timber industry.

(Distributed 07/16/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The soybean looper is a destructive pest on soybeans capable of defoliating fields if left unchecked. It can be difficult to control because of its resistance to many insecticides. LSU AgCenter scientists are looking at a novel way to increase the efficacy of pesticides to better control insects such as the soybean looper using nanotechnology.

(Distributed 07/09/15) ALEXANDRIA, La. – A rule that revises which bodies of water are subject to Clean Water Act regulations will take effect next month, which has some farmers worried they will come under stricter federal scrutiny.

(Distributed 07/14/15) LAKE CHARLES, La. – Results have been released from the 46th Annual Louisiana 4-H and FFA State Horse Show held July 7-11, 2015.

(Distributed 07/08/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter researchers are looking at different aspects of the redbanded stink bug.

(Distributed 07/13/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter is partnering with the Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute for research and outreach activities designed to help people make better use of Louisiana’s water supply.

(Distributed 07//13/15) HAMMOND, La. – The most popular summer-blooming tree in Louisiana is the crape myrtle with its lovely, long-lasting flowers. They generally myrtles start blooming between mid-May and early June and continue flowering for 80 to 100 days, depending on the variety.

(Distributed 07/13/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Feral hogs caused at least $30 million in damage to crops on Louisiana farms in 2013, according to an LSU AgCenter study.

(Distributed 07/10/15) Some of the newer zinnias include the Profusion and the Zahara varieties. These landscape-type zinnias resulted from hybridization between the old cut-flower-type zinnias and the Mexican or narrowleaf zinnias.

(Distributed 07/10/15) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Louisiana’s corn, cotton and soybean crops still have the potential to be above average this year, but because of the weather, don’t expect any record yields, LSU AgCenter experts said at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center field day on Thursday (July 9).

(Distributed 07/10/15) HAMMOND, La. – Summer is not the most enjoyable time to work in the yard in Louisiana, but rose bushes need attention to ensure good performance through the summer and into early fall.

(Distributed 07/09/15) BATON ROUGE, La – With the help of a teacher who recognized his potential and scholarships that allowed him to attend college, Gail Cramer was able to escape a poverty-stricken childhood in rural Washington to become an accomplished professor in agricultural economics.

(Distributed 07/08/15) AMITE, La. – Cattle producers in the Florida parishes are invited to sign up for the LSU AgCenter’s Master Cattleman program to be held in Tangipahoa Parish beginning Aug. 11 and ending Oct. 13.

(Distributed 07/08/15) ST. LOUIS – 4-H youth from Vermilion Parish attended the National 4-H Film Festival and won an award for their video “Somewhere Over the Bayou.” Brothers Ty and Clay Zaunbrecher, of Abbeville, the first Louisianans ever to compete in the contest, submitted the entry that placed third in the promotional category.

(Distributed 07/07/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Teenage girls who are considered plus-sized say shopping for clothing is a frustrating and often humiliating experience, according to a recent study.

(Distributed 07/07/15) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Unrelenting rains that delayed planting of many Louisiana crops may have set the stage for a tougher-than-usual battle with weeds this year.

(Distributed 07/07/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Thirty-six 4-H’ers from across the state represented Louisiana at the 2015 4-H Shooting Sports National Championship in Grand Island, Nebraska, on June 21-26.

(Distributed 07/07/15) NEW ORLEANS – The LSU AgCenter’s MarketReady training program is preparing small farmers and ranchers to develop supplier relationships with restaurants, grocery stores, wholesalers and foodservice buyers.

(Distributed 07/07/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Fruit and vegetable growers from across the state shared stories of how wet weather has affected their operations during the Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Grower meeting and field day at LSU AgCenter Botanical Gardens at Burden on July 1.

(Distributed 07/06/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter closed the Forage Testing Laboratory on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge on July 1.

(Distributed 07/06/15) A great newer hydrangea for Louisianians to consider is the Hydrangea paniculuta called Limelight.

(Distributed 07/02/15) CROWLEY, La. – LSU AgCenter researchers at the Rice Research Station Field Day on July 1 outlined their work to help farmers produce a better crop more efficiently. Researchers said their work heavily depends on funds provided by rice farmers through the checkoff system.

(Distributed 07/02/15) HAMMOND, La. – Several years ago the LSU AgCenter developed a program called Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods to inform home gardeners about sustainable landscaping and home horticulture practices.

(Distributed 07/01/15) July brings celebrations of local foods to Alexandria and New Orleans.

(Distributed 07/01/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The kudzu bug, an invasive pest from Asia, continues its trek into Louisiana. LSU AgCenter scientists have been monitoring the movement of the insect since it was discovered in 2014 in Louisiana after moving in from Mississippi.