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LSU AgCenter Communications produces news releases for print, radio and television media. All are published on our Web site and listed chronologically. To view past releases, go to the news archive.

The radio news releases are produced for daily use, Monday through Friday, and distributed to a select list via CD every other week. A video news release is produced for every week of the year – 52 all together – and distributed to a select list via DVD or tape also every other week. To be added to the list, please contact Craig Gautreaux or call (225) 578-2263.

Print press releases are produced three ways – as headline news for stories with more immediacy, as news you can use for stories with a helpful angle, and as seasonal stories. We produce four seasonal packets: spring gardening, hurricane preparedness (storm and flood), back-to-school and holidays.

In addition, we produce a special service called “Get It Growing” aimed at people who want to improve their landscapes, grow flowers and ornamentals or grow vegetables and fruit. This service includes a weekly newspaper column written by horticulturist Dan Gill, a daily (Monday through Friday) 60-second radio spot voiced by Gill, and a weekly 90-second television spot featuring Gill. The newspaper columns are sent via e-mail once a month to everybody on our print news distribution list. The radio and television spots are distributed with the audio and video new releases mentioned above.

For more information on our news services, please contact Linda Benedict or call (225) 578-2263.                    

Headline News Radio & TV  Get It Growing
News You Can Use Gardening News  Holidays

Back-to-School

Storm & Flood News  News Archive

Sugarcane farmers find good harvest weather, improving prices
loading cane

(Distributed 11/25/09) Sugarcane farmers are taking advantage of good weather and improving prices as they progress into the more productive phase of this year’s harvest. “Farmers are optimistic that their yields will be better than normal,” said Ben Legendre, LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist. “We have some of the best yields we’ve seen in terms of tons of cane per acre.”

Tom H. Scott elected to National 4-H Hall of Fame
(Distributed 11/25/09) Tom H. Scott, a fixture in Louisiana agriculture and long-time support of 4-H during his lifetime, was inducted posthumously into the National 4-H Hall of Fame for 2009. Scott was one of 15 individuals across the country inducted. His daughter, Betty Cummins of Mangham, accepted the honor for the family. Scott died in 2001.

8 Sabine Parish 4-H’ers receive Discovering Tomorrow’s Leaders awards
(Distributed 11/25/09) All eight students in Sabine Parish who received the Discovering Tomorrow’s Leaders awards, a program sponsored by Chesapeake Energy, are members of 4-H. Discovering Tomorrow’s Leaders is designed to recognize and reward local school students for their citizenship and community involvement.

Folsom citrus grower finds success despite northern location
folsomcitrusfarmer

(Distributed 11/24/09) FOLSOM, La. – Growing citrus on a commercial level is not something you expect to see north of Covington, but one grower is proving it can be done – if the weather is favorable. Sherwood Loyd from Folsom said he saw an opportunity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that has proven to be a wise decision that’s beginning to pay off.

LSU AgCenter to open 2 poultry demonstration houses in early 2010
twopoultryhouses
(Distributed 11/23/09) HOMER, La. – The LSU AgCenter will open two poultry demonstration houses in early 2010 in which real-life operations will help improve management practices for the industry.
9 Louisiana 4-H’ers compete at 2009 national poultry, egg conference
(Distributed 11/23/09) Nine 4-H’ers represented Louisiana at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 18-19, according to Dr. Theresia Lavergne, LSU AgCenter poultry specialist and leader of the 4-H poultry project.
Thanksgiving dinner costs down 9 percent for 2009
(Distributed 11/23/09) As Louisiana cooks shop for their Thanksgiving meal, they’ll find costs for the basic dinner items down about nine percent from last year, according LSU AgCenter family economist Dr. Jeanette Tucker. The 2009 Thanksgiving market basket will average $37.52 for 10 people, compared to $41.30 last year.
Many fruit and nut trees prosper in Louisiana
(Audio 11/23/09) Louisiana gardeners can grow a wide variety of fruit. Now is a great time to plant fruit and nut trees to allow time for establishment. Learn more about the many kinds of fruit trees that can be grown successfully in Louisiana. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
Care for summer-flowering bulbs during wintertime
(Audio 11/23/09) Summer-flowering bulbs are native to warm climates, so they thrive in Louisiana due to the long, hot summer. However, these bulbs will usually go dormant during the winter. Learn how to care for these summer-flowering bulbs during wintertime. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
Avoid misconceptions when harvesting broccoli
(Audio 11/23/09) Not only is broccoli one of the most nutritious vegetables we can grow, it is also one of the easiest to grow. Gardeners who planted broccoli in September should be seeing some ready to be harvested. Find out what to look for when harvesting broccoli. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
Grow amaryllis indoors this winter
(Audio 11/23/09) Even though amaryllis bulbs become available in the fall, this is not the time to plant them in your landscape. Grow these beautiful, massive flowers indoors this winter. Discover more about amaryllis. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
Winter vegetables can beautify gardens
(Audio 11/23/09) While many vegetables often appear untamed in the garden, many winter vegetables tend to be wonderfully neat and attractive. Add some beauty to your garden by planting ornamental vegetables for the cool season. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
Louisiana dairy farmers face obstacles
Dairy Research
(TV News 11/30/09) Louisiana’s dairy industry has struggled in recent years. The high costs of food, fuel and fertilizer cut into potential profits. And while these costs have gone down this year, so have the prices farmers get for their milk. LSU AgCenter researcher Dr. Mike McCormick says dairy producers in Louisiana face additional obstacles. (Runtime: 1:45)
Gardeners' attentions turn to cool-season plants
Fall Plants
(Video 11/30/09) The weather is cooler, the days are clearer, and it’s a great time to plant things. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains which trees, shrubs and cool-season flowers are some of the right ones to plant now. (Runtime: 1:24)