(01/29/16) WEST MONROE, La. – Participants interested in gardening travelled from at least three states to attend the Sixth Annual Spring Ag Expo Gardening Seminar in West Monroe.

(01/29/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture are working with a Chinese university to set up a collaborative undergraduate degree program in agricultural economics and to expand exchange programs.

(Distributed 01/27/16) WEST MONROE, La. – With forestry being the largest agricultural crop in the state, keeping landowners, loggers and others aware of the market conditions was the goal of the forestry forum held at the West Monroe Convention Center.

(01/27/16) HAMMOND, La. – Because rose growers and enthusiasts surveyed in Louisiana and Mississippi have been impressed with the great landscape performance of Cinco de Mayo, the Gulf District of the American Rose Society has named the variety as the 2016 Gulf District Rose of the Year.

(01/26/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service will present a series of workshops on producing commercial vegetables and cut flowers using high tunnels, or hoop houses, in several Louisiana locations in February and on March 1.

(01/26/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The presence of a top predator of other invertebrates in Louisiana’s coastal marshes may shed light on how the marshes are recovering from the effects of the BP oils spill in April 2010.

(01/25/16) OPELOUSAS, La. – Low grain prices are not expected to increase soon because of excess supply and lower demand, according to an LSU AgCenter economist who spoke with farmers at a wheat and feed grain meeting on Jan. 21.

(01/25/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – Researchers in the LSU College of Agriculture’s Department of Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising are using body scanning technology to study how body shapes change during weight loss.

(Distributed 01/22/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – Guillermo Scaglia, a beef cattle researcher at the LSU AgCenter Iberia Research Station in Jeanerette, and Stan Dutile, an LSU AgCenter extension agent in Lafayette Parish, each received the Merit Award from the American Forage and Grassland Council.

(Distributed 01/22/16) WEST MONROE, La. – The Best of Agriculture: Producing food and fiber…safely, efficiently and abundantly was the theme of this year’s Ag Expo held at the Ike Hamilton Expo Center on Jan. 15-16.

(Distributed 01/21/16) GONZALES, La. – Ralph Sellers Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM has signed on as corporate sponsor for the 2016 LSU AgCenter Livestock Show with a contribution of $25,000.

(Distributed 01/20/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter will host a seasonal children’s garden activity at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden on Feb. 20.

(Distributed 01/19/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden will conduct a volunteer orientation on Jan. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Ione Burden Conference Center in the gardens.

(Distributed 01/19/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have recently released new dietary guidelines to help Americans eat healthier diets. Denise Holston-West, a registered dietitian with the LSU AgCenter, said the goal is for Americans to improve their overall eating patterns.

(Distributed 01/15/16) HAMMOND, La. – Loquat, frequently called Japanese plum, is an attractive small tree or shrub that is frequently planted in landscapes as an ornamental in Louisiana. The tree has large thick evergreen leaves with a moderate rate of growth and does well in most well-drained soils. It can be used as an edible landscape plant.

(Distributed 01/15/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – Lawrence Datnoff has been named to receive the 2016 Alumni Award from the Virginia Tech University Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science. Datnoff is a professor and department head in the LSU AgCenter and LSU College of Agriculture Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology.

(Distributed 01/13/16) LAFAYETTE, La. – The newest graduates of the Louisiana Master Farmer Program were honored Jan. 12 during the annual convention of the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts.

(Distributed 01/13/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden will present the sixth annual Brush With Burden art exhibition on March 13-20.

(Distributed 01/13/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – Two Louisiana 4-H’ers were recognized for their winning submissions in a grazing management essay contest sponsored by the Louisiana Forage and Grassland Council. The awards were presented during a luncheon on Jan. 11 at the American Forage and Grasslands Council annual conference.

*Distributed 01/13/16) OAK GROVE, La. – Although the 2015 sweet potato season was marked by difficult weather conditions – excessive rains that delayed planting followed by a hot and dry summer, then more rain that interfered with harvest – Louisiana growers still ended up with a good crop, LSU AgCenter experts said at a Louisiana Sweet Potato Association meeting on Jan. 12.

(Distributed 01/12/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – Tiger Stadium is usually packed for Saturday night football games. But on Jan. 7, the club level of the stadium was filled with turfgrass professionals at the annual 2016 Louisiana Turfgrass Association conference.

(Distributed 01/05/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Food Incubator will offer training Feb. 18 and 19 for food industry professionals interested in learning about good manufacturing practices.

(Distributed 01/05/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – As the threat of river flooding heads to Louisiana, now is the time for homeowners to plan and prepare, said LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel.

(Distributed 01/07/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden is postponing Arbor Day activities set for Jan. 16.

(Distributed 01/06/16) WEST MONROE, La. – The Northeast Louisiana Master Gardeners 6th Annual Gardening Seminar will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the West Monroe Convention Center on Jan. 16.

(Distributed 01/07/16) CROWLEY, La. – Rice farmers attending the first three of a series of LSU AgCenter producer meetings came away with reasons for optimism this year, with the start of planting season only two months away.

(Distributed 01/08/16) LAFAYETTE, La. – The Gulf District of the American Rose Society and the LSU AgCenter will present a midwinter workshop on rose care Feb. 12-13 at the Ramada Inn Conference Center and Hotel in Lafayette, Louisiana.

(Distributed 01/11/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Food Incubator will host four seminars in February and March to help educate food entrepreneurs and other industry professionals about business strategies and regulations.

(Distributed 01/11/16) BREAUX BRIDGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter will host a meeting for rice and soybean farmers on Feb. 25 at the St. Martin Parish Extension Office. The session will begin at 5 p.m. and topics will include new rice varieties, rice and soybean weed control, fertility, soybean disease and insect control, and soybean agronomics.

(Distributed 01/11/16) OPELOUSAS, La. – A meeting will be held by the LSU AgCenter for wheat and feed grain producers on Jan. 21 at the Yambilee building. The session starts with registration at 7:30 a.m.

(Distributed 01/12/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – Hundreds of youth from across Louisiana will be gathering in Gonzales next month for the 81st annual LSU AgCenter Livestock Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.