Northeast Louisiana's economy depends on the LSU AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph in Tensas Parish. That's because agriculture is the backbone of the regional economy, contributing about $1 billion.

More than 1,500 4-H’ers from Louisiana's 64 parishes will converge on the LSU campus to participate in competitive activities and learning experiences June 18-21, 2013, for the 99th annual 4-H University. The theme is Soaking Up Leadership.

The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden is an oasis for garden and nature lovers. Situated in the heart of Baton Rouge, the facility offers people a way to enjoy plants and the environment and learn about their importance to physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

The agricultural economy in Louisiana grew to a record high value of $11.4 billion in 2012, an increase of 6.5 percent over the 2011 amount of $10.7, according to the LSU AgCenter Ag Summary.

In 2012, the LSU AgCenter Office of Intellectual Property celebrates its 25th anniversary. During that time it has grown to be the leader in commercialization of intellectual property within the LSU System and, in fact, within higher education in Louisiana. Since 2000, 14 new companies have been started based on licensing technology from the AgCenter.

Not all Louisiana gardeners have a green thumb. And consumers may want beautiful landscaping, but they may not be sure about which plants will work well in their yards. LSU AgCenter’s Super Plants to the rescue!

AgMagic, the LSU AgCenter’s interactive exhibit about Louisiana agriculture, returns to Parker Coliseum on LSU’s campus for its 10th year April 22-28, 2012. School groups are scheduled April 22-26, and the free event is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 27-28.

It only takes one sick plant to spoil the looks of your home landscape or your garden. But before you attempt to treat, you need to find out what's going on from an expert in plant diagnostics. And that's when you want to turn to the LSU AgCenter’s own "plant doctor," Raghuwinder Singh.

To educate young people on the importance of Louisiana wetlands, the LSU AgCenter’s Youth Wetlands Program offers free science curricula for grades four through 12. The educational materials include lessons and activities and educational videos highlighting careers in wetland-related fields.

“Let's have a ball at 4-H Summer Camp.” That’s the theme of the summer 2013 4-H Camping at the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center near Pollock. Registration will be available March 1, 2013. Contact your LSU AgCenter parish office about deadlines and details.

Get ready for spring gardening by attending one of the LSU AgCenter-sponsored shows. Experts will be at all the shows giving advice, making presentations and answering your questions.

March is National Nutrition Month and the theme for March 2013 is Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day. To do this requires eating the nutritious foods that you enjoy while being aware of portion sizes and total calories.

Children need it desperately. Adults long for it. And during February, we celebrate it – love. It has been the inspiration for countless poems, songs and movies, and it is vital to healthy development and well-being.

February is a month dedicated to the heart – in more ways than one. This is the time to celebrate love and give your sweetheart a valentine. This is also the month to wear red and call attention to prevention of the No. 1 killer of women – heart disease.

The 78th LSU AgCenter Livestock Show is Feb. 9-16, 2013, at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. Working with livestock helps young people develop a sense of responsibility and skills that last a lifetime. More than 2,000 4-H and FFA exhibitors and 1,500 breeding animals, 1,600 market animals, 180 pens of broilers and 700 exhibition birds will be in the competition.

In 2012, we celebrated 125 years of research excellence at the LSU AgCenter through the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, which was established in 1887. That was the year Congress passed the Hatch Act, which provided federal funding to support agricultural experiment stations at the nation’s land-grant colleges.

Smart Bodies is an educational program aimed at preventing childhood obesity. A joint initiative of the LSU AgCenter and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, Smart Bodies is taught in schools across the state and helps children learn how to build strong bodies and develop active minds.

Louisiana has stepped out ahead of all other states in the nation in helping farmers learn to voluntarily comply with stricter environmental regulations governing water quality. This has happened because of the LSU AgCenter’s Master Farmer Program.

If one of your New Year's goals is to lose weight, choose a plan that helps you make healthy lifestyle changes instead of following the latest diet craze. That's advice from Beth Reames, LSU AgCenter nutritionist.

Food scientists keep discovering more nutritional value from eating pecans. And that's good for Louisianians because they love pecans. And they also like to grow them. Pecan production contributes, on average, about $12 million to the Louisiana economy each year.

The flood waters have receded from Hurricane Isaac, but damage to the Louisiana citrus industry will be noticeable for quite a while. Some areas in the Plaquemine Parish sustained extreme damage to navels and satsumas.

Pointy and pretty, no flower quite has the petal power of poinsettias at the holidays. And the selection would be far fewer in Louisiana were it not for the LSU AgCenter. Although AgCenter horticulturists do not develop new varieties of poinsettias, they do evaluate the varieties that come on the market and test them for their suitability to grow here.

Louisiana has gained a reputation as producing the best sweet potatoes in the world. And there will be plenty available for the 2011 holiday season.

Learning safety in the operation of all-terrain vehicles, also known as ATVs, is an important part of the program in 4-H in Louisiana and nationwide.

Your Thanksgiving meal may be a little more expensive in 2012 over 2011 – about 13 percent higher, say LSU AgCenter economists. But a turkey dinner with all the trimmings is still a bargain at about $4.50 per person, which is less than a typical fast food meal.

The LSU AgCenter offers home gardeners opportunities to develop their skills and share their knowledge with others through participation in the Louisiana Master Gardener program.

In 2012, the Department of Food Science celebrates its 50th birthday. It was established in 1962 under the administration of LSU President Troy Middleton and College of Agriculture Dean Norman Efferson. Since then, this department has contributed immeasurably to the development and economic viability of Louisiana’s world-renowned food industry.

Do you think food, clothing, lumber and other products only come from a store? Come to AgMagic at the State Fair to see and learn where your food and fiber really come from. Visitors will enter the world of agriculture and follow a path that leads to knowledge in wildlife, crops, livestock, nutrition and 4-H.

Developments in molecular biology, immunology and genetic engineering have given new dimensions to research on farm animal production. The LSU AgCenter’s Reproductive Biology Center is recognized worldwide as a leader in assisted reproductive technologies for use in livestock improvement, biomedical applications, and propagation of exotic and endangered animal species.

Established as the Fruit and Truck Experiment Station in 1922, the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station is now focused on providing research and education for Louisiana's nursery and landscape industry.

Pink abounds in October during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in the United States.

Nestled among rolling pastures framed by tall pines is the LSU AgCenter’s Hill Farm Research Station – so named for the geography of Claiborne Parish, where it is located. It is the northernmost of the AgCenter’s off-campus research stations across the state.

During the week of October 7-13, 4-H members across Louisiana will celebrate National 4-H Week with lessons and activities focused on learning more about science and living the 4-H pledge.

The primary areas of research at the Iberia Research Station are efficient production of sugarcane and beef cattle and production of sweet sorghum as a biofuel. The station is in Iberia Parish, just a few miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

Fall is a transitional time of year for Louisiana gardeners. And the LSU AgCenter has a wealth of information to help you keep your landscaping green and blooming year-round.

September is recognized as Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and the LSU AgCenter is working to combat the problem of overweight and obese youngsters through programs like Smart Bodies. Denise Holston-West, the Smart Bodies program director, said the program is presented in schools and focuses on healthy eating and exercise.

Hurricane season is right around the corner, officially starting on June 1. Are you ready?

If you drive by a field of Jazzman rice, its pleasant, nutty aroma is unmistakable. For farmers, the pleasant fragrance is the smell of money. The LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station developed Jazzman rice varieties to compete with Thai Jasmine.

The LSU AgCenter’s “LaHouse” is designed to hold up against strong winds and flooding and serve as a model for how to build homes with hurricane-resistant features in Louisiana.

More than 4 million young people have been part of Louisiana 4-H since its beginnings in 1908. Now 4-H alumni have the opportunity to revisit those experiences – some of which were life-changing – by planning a trip to a new museum in Mansura dedicated to 4-H.

Teach the young about the value of Louisiana’s coastline and marshes, and they’ve learned a lesson for a lifetime. That’s the philosophy behind the LSU AgCenter’s annual series of Marsh Maneuvers camps. They’re unique opportunities to mix fun with education – and in the end, help save our coast.

From cotton and corn to soybeans and cattle, just about every major agricultural commodity in Louisiana grows in central Louisiana. The LSU AgCenter’s Dean Lee Research Station in Alexandria serves this region, the heart of Louisiana agriculture.

When the Jesuit priests first brought sugarcane to Louisiana in 1751, little did they know that they were laying the foundation for an industry that now contributes $2 billion to the state's economy. The industry could not be sustained, however, without the research of the LSU AgCenter.

Blueberry producers in Louisiana and many southeastern states are increasing production at a rapid rate. This has been driven by increasing consumer demand for blueberries because of their many healthful properties.

During 2012, the LSU AgCenter is celebrating 125 years of research through the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. Because of this research, the agricultural industry in Louisiana has continued to prosper and today contributes at least $26 billion to the state’s economy each year. This AgCenter Lead features the history of rice.

Though the number of dairies in Louisiana has been decreasing, the dairy industry remains strong, contributing more than $160 million to the state’s economy in 2006. Louisianans benefit from having local dairies supply fresh, wholesome milk. These local dairies exist because of the strong dairy research and extension program at the LSU AgCenter.

The Louisiana Sugar Planters Association hired William Carter Stubbs away from Alabama in 1885 to director a Sugar Experiment Station, which was the beginning of agricultural research in Louisiana.

LSU AgCenter scientists continue to add weapons to their arsenal as they battle the spread of the Formosan subterranean termite. And they’re making headway. This pest voraciously consumes wooden structures and woody plants and causes millions of dollars in damages.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines, which are issued every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, call for some drastic changes in the American diet.

Not only do Louisiana strawberries taste good. They’re good for the state’s economy. And this year Louisiana strawberry growers once again are producing a delicious crop.

Yards and gardens generally look a little frayed by this time of the year. The final really hot days that usually come at the end of a long, hot summer are especially hard on plants, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill.

Mosquitoes buzz around Louisiana every day of the year. More than 60 species inhabit the state. While many are benign, some are carriers – or vectors – of several worrisome diseases. It's everyone's responsibility to keep their numbers down.

From pre-K through college, LSU AgCenter experts offer advice about preparing for and making sure of a successful school year. Getting ready involves more than students. It’s important to the family, the community and, ultimately, our society.

Improving the lives of Louisiana families and children has long been a goal of the LSU AgCenter. The “Be Child Care Aware!” educational campaign is one example of that work.

The "Be Child Care Aware!" initiative involves many projects including the training of child-care providers. The following photos were taken over the past two years and include some of the sites where training was held.