Bill Williams, formerly an associate professor at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph, has assumed a 75 percent appointment as extension weed scientist with a 25 percent research appointment.

ST. MARTINVILLE – New sugarcane varietiesare increasing yields, but diseases pose a constant threat, farmers were told by LSU AgCenter researchers at a July 18 sugarcane field day here.

Sugarcane farmers heard about alternative crops and cane varieties under development during field days July 24 and 25 in Iberia Parish.

Patrick Colyer is first to be the second regional director in the LSU AgCenter administration.Colyer, a plant pathologist at the Red River Research Station in Bossier City for 25 years, became director of the Northwest Region, one of the AgCenter’s seven regions in March 2008.

Fourteen Bienville Parish 4-H’ers learned about the world of work in professional jobs this summer in a new program that’s a joint venture between the LSU AgCenter and the Bienville Parish Police Jury.

The following news articles appeared in the summer 2008 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Summer 2008

More than 14,000 acres of sweet potatoes were planted in Louisiana in 2007 with a farmgate value of $65 million. The sweetpotato weevil continues to be the biggest threat to productivity in the industry.

For many sugarcane varieties, the rescuer can oftentimes be in need of rescue. Such is the case with LCP 85-384. The release of LCP 85-384 in 1993 was truly a hallmark of sugarcane breeding efforts in Louisiana. By 2003, it was apparent that LCP 85-384 was in need of replacement.

Research at the LSU AgCenter is focused on how the brain senses macronutrients – protein, carbohydrate and fat – and how this sensing leads to a change in the control of appetite and obesity.

The LSU AgCenter's Smart Bodies program addresses the issue of obesity in Louisiana.

Nearly 2,500 years ago Hippocrates made a profound statement that is receiving much attention today. He said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy.

The LSU AgCenter’s Smart Portions Healthy Weight Program was developed to help participants learn healthy lifestyle habits to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Smart Portions, launched in 2007, is the revised version of the Portions Healthy Weight curriculum originally launched in 2001.

These news articles appeared in the fall 2008 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.

Drinking tea to lose weight may not be a farfetched idea if a group of Louisiana researchers can pinpoint and quantify the functional components of Chinese sweet tea and blackberry leaves.

Sugarcane growers are having one of their best years ever when it comes to the level of recoverable sugar per ton of cane, although yields are slightly off the early predictions of 34-35 tons of cane per acre, said Ben Legendre, LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist.

Following are tips for controlling portion size as you eat.

Some facts about diabetes from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

Heed the following tips to prevent the onset of diabetes.

Definitions are provided for type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes.

A study on the heating of tomato plants grown in greenhouses by an LSU AgCenter scientist is the cover story of the April-June 2008 issue of HortTechnology, a research publication of the American Society for Horticultural Science that has subscribers in 50 countries.

The LSU AgCenter has named Tara Smith research coordinator at its Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase.

WESTWEGO – “This is all about getting people involved in locally grown food,” LSU AgCenter vice chancellor Paul Coreil said of the newly opened Westwego Farmers and Fisheries Market.

Ten LSU AgCenter faculty members were part of a multi-state team that received the 1st Place National and Southern Region Program Excellence through Research Award at the Galaxy III National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) conference held Sept. 15-19 in Indianapolis, Ind.

A compound in the fats in Louisiana oysters could be a key ingredient in treating and preventing cancer, according to Jack Losso, LSU AgCenter food science researcher.

LSU AgCenter researchers are testing how incorporating functional food ingredients into manufactured dairy products could improve their health-giving benefits and how these health-beneficial ingredients affect the physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of dairy products.

One year later and 40 pounds lighter, the chancellor of the LSU AgCenter has changed to a healthier lifestyle.Bill Richardson, who is 6-foot-1 and weighs just under 220, did this by methodically following guidelines prescribed by AgCenter nutrition educators.

To help address the epidemic of obesity in Louisiana, the chancellor of the LSU AgCenter, Bill Richardson, started a blog in October 2007 to document his experiences in making a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. In the daily Monday-through-Friday blog, known as the Chancellor’s Challenge, he used educational information and recommendations that the LSU AgCenter espouses to the residents of Louisiana.

The LSU AgCenter offers nutrition lessons for adults and youth in a program called Smart Choices.

Carol Lammi-Keefe, professor and head of the Human Nutrition and Food Division in the LSU AgCenter’s School of Human Ecology, is the lead editor of a new book published in 2008 – Handbook of Nutrition and Pregnancy.

Food safety is a growing concern in the United States, and the LSU AgCenter has a major commitment to helping the Louisiana food industry control bacteria that cause food poisoning.

Assuring the safety of our food supply is a major program effort of the LSU AgCenter. Extension agents and specialists provide research-based food safety information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the LSU AgCenter.

Many diseases and conditions associated with aging and being overweight are associated with chronic inflammation.

After birth, every person’s gastrointestinal tract (gut) becomes filled with microorganisms, mainly bacteria. These are often referred to as our microflora. The majority of these are located in the large intestine.

Our grandmothers were right. A common adage for many of us when we were growing up – especially if we lived in states like Louisiana with coastal waters that provided a living for its workforce – was that fish is brain food.

Sleep is essential for human life and gives the body the opportunity to repair itself. Bodily functions change during sleep: hormones are secreted, blood pressure is lowered, kidney function changes, and memory is consolidated.

Purchasing food at farmers markets can be a way to promote the consumptiion of more fruits and vegetables, which is associated with a reduced risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, with a reduced risk of cancers (oral cavity and pharynx, larynx, lung, esophagus, stomach and colon-rectal) and with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

Louisiana Agriculture magazine fall 2008.pdf

The LSU AgCenter conducts greenhouse and landscape research on many new bedding plants each year to determine production practices to assist growers and observe performance in the landscape to provide garden centers, landscape professionals and home gardeners information on how these plants will perform under Louisiana’s growing conditions.

Herbaceous perennials are winter hardy ornamental plants that reappear each spring from their crowns or root systems. Many species can be used as groundcovers or landscape plantings to provide color for extended seasons. Some major species in production and landscape use are daylily, lantana, verbena, purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan.

Japanese holly fern is a popular fern in the southeastern United States. This plant is native to Japan. It forms a rounded mound that can be up to 3 feet wide and 1 1/2 feet tall. The foliage is glossy and very dark green.

Access to broadband technology in rural areas remains limited. In the United States, broadband refers to the set of technologies that provide a connection to the Internet, such as phone lines, satellite, fixed and mobile wireless and cable.

When Jere McBride was hired, he was the youngest administrator in the LSU AgCenter at age 36.

The use of the twin-drill (twin-row) configuration on 36- to 40-inch-wide beds is of interest to Midsouth producers, but as yet it is unproven as a yield enhancement practice for most agronomic crops.

LSU AgCenter Master Gardeners and Kids Hope volunteers have helped transform a once dull courtyard at University Terrace Elementary school into a flowering oasis.

A “gorilla” of a barnyardgrass and a “tough critter” nematode are two of the problems being tackled by LSU AgCenter researchers as reported at the June 24, 2008, field day at the Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph.

Farmers must rely on fungicides to protect their crops from certain diseases. One of the most serious of these diseases is Asian soybean rust, which is spread by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi.

Production input expenses for crop producers continue to rise. To reduce these costs, particularly fuel and labor, growers can co-apply multiple pesticides and eliminate trips across fields.

The Chinese tallow tree is a familiar sight growing in yards and along fence rows throughout Louisiana, though some may not recognize this name. In southern Louisiana, it is commonly called “chicken”or “chicken-foot” tree, presumably because its seeds hang in clusters that offersome resemblance to a chicken’s foot.

Once rooted in rural America, 4-H has significantly diversified over its 100 years of existence. Although 4-H has changed as society has changed, much of its success can be traced to its roots and original mission.

Transgenic plants that express insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt) have become standard for managing many caterpillar pests in cotton.

Bill Williams, formerly an associate professor at the LSU AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph, has assumed a 75 percent appointment as extension weed scientist with a 25 percent research appointment. His office has moved to the Scott Researchand Extension Center in Winnsboro.

Cathleen C. Williams writes about the trip to China by members of Class 10 of the LSU AgCenter’s Leadership Development Program.

Fourteen Bienville Parish 4-H’ers learned about the world of work in professional jobs this summer in a new program that’s a joint venture between the LSU AgCenter and the Bienville Parish Police Jury.

Patrick Colyer is first to be the second regional director in the LSU AgCenter administration.Colyer, a plant pathologist at the Red River Research Station in Bossier City for 25 years, became director of the Northwest Region, one of the AgCenter’s seven regions in March 2008.

New sugarcane varieties are increasing yields, but diseases pose a constant threat, farmers were told by LSU AgCenter researchers at a July 18, 2008, sugarcane field day here.

Sugarcane farmers heard about alternative crops and cane varieties under development during field days July 24 and 25 in Iberia Parish.

“Who likes squash?” asked Emily Neustrom, a project coordinator with the LSU AgCenter. She was holding up a packet of seeds and speaking to students at Baton Rouge’s McKinley High School. They were learning leadership, running a business, gardening and nutrition as part of a service-learning experience.

During the past 20 years, interest has increased in dietary effects of omega-3 fatty acids because they play a major role in human health. Natural fish oils are thought to help maintain heart and vascular health in humans.

To obtain maximum effectiveness of fall/winter herbicide programs, applications should be timed to emergence of winter weeds preferably once temperatures have cooled in late November or December. Producers are cautioned that although effective through winter months, these programs may not eliminate the need for a follow-up treatment before or at planting.

Of all the U.S. sugar-producing areas,Louisiana is the oldest and most historic. Sugarcane arrived in Louisiana in1751 with the Jesuit priests who planted it near where their church now stands on Baronne Street in New Orleans. The Louisiana sugarcane industry is in its third century of uninterrupted sugar production.

LSU AgCenter research has demonstrated that conventional, whole-field soil-sampling schemes and field-averaged yields do not satisfactorily describe the variations of yield and soil attributes present in several sugarcane fields. Research suggests a precision management approach.

Environmentally conscientious sugarcane growers voluntarily use best management practices (BMPs) to control runoff from production areas. Post-harvest residue management in sugarcane is one area in need of research-based information to determine the best management approach.

In recent years purple nutsedge has become more problematic in Louisiana sugarcane fields. Purple nutsedge is considered among the world’s worst weeds because of its perennial nature and ability to produce abundant and viable underground tubers.

In Louisiana sugarcane, row shoulders and middles are intensively cultivated to promote crop growth, eliminate ruts, incorporate fertilizer and control weeds. Sugarcane growers have been slow to adopt reduced tillage practices because of concerns over reduced yields and weed control.

In Louisiana, four to six harvests are made from a single planting of sugarcane. After that, the sugarcane must be replanted because of disease and weed pressure. During the fallow period, weeds must be managed to maximize yields for the next few years.

For more than 50 years, entomology programs at both the LSU AgCenter and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sugarcane Research Laboratory at Houma have conducted research addressing the development of new varieties resistant to the larval stages of the sugarcane borer moth. In addition, the two research partners evaluate resistance to aphids and a potential invasive insect pest of Louisiana sugarcane, the Mexican rice borer.

Sugarcane breeding, leading to the release of genetically improved varieties, has played a vital role in sustaining Louisiana’s sugar industry. Past sugarcane breeding efforts have relied solely on traditional breeding approaches.

The United States is the world’s largest producer of ethanol, followed closely by Brazil. We produce about 13 million gallons of ethanol a day. To close the gap between fuel use and available ethanol would require a 50-fold increase in ethanol production. Currently, America’s primary agricultural source of simple sugars used for ethanol production is the starch in corn. But an expansion of this magnitude is well beyond our available corn supplies.

There are likely to be many solutions for achieving energy alternatives, and agriculture is being looked upon for several sources – including sugarcane.

The No. 1 goal of the Audubon Sugar Institute is to keep Louisiana sugar factories profitable.

As Louisiana begins its third century of sugar production, research continues to play a vital role that sustains both growers and processors. Many facets of the industry continue to change.

The Biomass Research and Development Initiative in the 2002 farm bill sets a goal of a 12 percent increase in production of chemicals and materials from biomass by 2010.

The Northwest Louisiana Master Gardener Association celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008. Since it began, 343 gardening enthusiasts have been certified to educate and beautify their communities.

Louisiana landowners are showing interest in carbon trading – an emerging market that pays landowners for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

This year’s AgMagic had a record number of visitors – 13,840– and LSU AgCenter officials are already planning next year’s event.

Weather forecasting is both art and science. But the science – especially long-range forecasting for south Louisiana in the summer – makes prediction difficult. For the past few years, south Louisiana has had blocks of fairly dry weather in the summer, especially when compared to the 1980s and 1990s, according to Jay Grymes,LSU AgCenter climatologist. He expects this pattern of warmer and somewhat drier summers to continue.

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Spring 2008.pdf

Louisiana sugarcane farmers will have a new sugarcane variety this fall with the release of L 01-283. Developed by the LSU AgCenter in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sugarcane Research Unit in Houma and the American Sugar Cane League in Thibodaux, L 01-283 is the latest in a series of new varieties for the Louisiana sugarcane industry.

Artificial ripening of sugarcane as a complement to natural maturity is possible because of the development of glyphosate, a plant growth regulator, for use as a chemical ripener that hastens sugarcane maturation and increases sugar yield per ton of cane and per acre.

At one time the Louisiana sugarcane crop was harvested using mechanical whole stalk harvesters, where stalks were piled in the field and burned to remove leaves before transporting to the mill. Beginning in the mid 1990s, growers shifted to chopper harvesters, where stalks are cut into billets, loaded directly into wagons and transported to the mill.

The production of sugarcane in Louisiana is a major contributor to the agricultural economy of the state. In total market value, sugarcane is the leading row crop commodity produced in Louisiana.

As prices for gasoline and diesel fuel climb, Louisiana farmers face increased cost to irrigate their crops. Electricity maybe a more efficient power source, says LSUAgCenter water resources specialist, Ron Sheffield.

The bacteria and viruses that cause diseases of sugarcane in Louisiana are distributed throughout an infected plant.

Sugarcane is affected by two diseases known as rusts because of the color of the lesions caused in the leaves and reproductive spores produced by the pathogens. One disease is called brown rust, and the other is called orange rust, based on differences in lesion and spore color.

LCP 85-384 is a sugarcane variety that will occupy a special place in the history of sugarcane in Louisiana. It ultimately occupied a record-setting 91 percent of the industry acreage in the state during 2004, and its widespread cultivation caused a major shift in harvesting practices that created many new research questions.

Sugarcane Yearly Crop Rotation

The projected Louisiana gross farm value of forest products decreased significantly Oct. 1 , 2006, through Sept. 30,2007, according to the LSU AgCenter’s 2007 AgSummary.

Between 30,000 and 40,000 acres of sugarcane production in St. Mary, Iberia and Vermilion parishes were substantially affected by storm surge from Hurricane Rita that came on shore in southwestern Louisiana on September 24, 2005.

Louisiana sweet potato producers harvested an average to slightly above average crop in 2007, although acreage was slightly down from that of 2006 with 14,254 harvested acres for 2007.

Stink bugs were first recorded as pests of cotton during the early 1900s. The most common species of stink bug found in cotton fields across the southern United States are the southern green stink bug, green stink bug and brown stink bug.

Farmers have traditionally used harvest aids to desiccate weeds and improve crop quality and harvest efficiency. In recent years, harvest aids have become especially important in producing early maturing soybeans in Louisiana. Excessive foreign material and moisture associated with green plants at harvest can reduce the price producers receive.

The success of early season production coupled with the increasing late-season occurrence of Cercospora leaf blight, Asian rust and stink bugs has led Louisiana soybean producers to consider even earlier maturing varieties to maintain profitable soybean production.

Glyphosate (sold under numerousformulations including Roundup,Touchdown and others) is a nonselective, postemergence herbicide used to control weeds in reduced tillage systems and in glyphosate-resistant soybeans, cotton and corn marketed in the southern United States.

Nitrogen fertilization is a critical component of cultural practices required for producing maximum corn yield.Many factors including climatic conditions,soil type and tillage systems determine optimum nitrogen rates. Nitrogen is typically knifed-in soon after the crop has emerged and an adequate stand is established.

New business formation has always been important for economic growth. Self-employed individuals who have no paid employees operate 75 percent of U.S. businesses. Spurring entrepreneurship activity is an economic development strategy for rural Louisiana.

The coastal plants study team won the LSU AgCenter’s top research team award for 2007. Called the Tipton Team Award, it is named for Kenneth W. Tipton, the former vice chancellor for research.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, timberland nationwide totals 504 million acres. Forests cover 14 million acres, about 50 percent of Louisiana's land area, making it the state's greatest single land use.

According to the theory of clusters in the business world, companies tend to spatially concentrate in places where they experience unusual competitive success. Spatial analysis can be applied to forest products' manufacturing sectors to identify clusters.

In late summer of 2005, hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf states within a four-week period. Although Katrina wrecked the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida, Louisiana was the only state that fell victim to both hurricanes. While Rita was a less severe hurricane than Katrina, it caused further distress to those evacuees from Katrina who had taken refuge in the areas in Rita's path.

Intermittent rains didn’t stop commercial tomato growers from viewing outdoor exhibits and touring the greenhouse tomato operation during a tomato field day at the LSU AgCenter’s Red River Research Station in Bossier City on Feb. 29, 2009.

Consumption of beef in the United States last year was about 67 pounds per capita. Many surveys have shown that tenderness of beef is important for consumer satisfaction. Genetic differences among cattle breeds influence variation in tenderness, as do individuals within those breeds. The Brahman breed has contributed significantly to increased performance in crossbred beef cattle in the South.

For the past 40 years, Don Franke, a professor and researcher in the School of Animal Sciences, has been studying ways to improve beef cattle in the South, particularly the Brahman breed.

Hurricanes frequently cause extensive damage to forests. Such disturbances not only affect the forest industry and wildlife habitats directly, but cause long-term influences on forest succession, site productivity and site drainage.

Soil carbon storage and dynamics represent an important component inthe global carbon cycle. LSU AgCenter scientists are conducting a study to quantify soil carbon storage and investigate its spatial distribution and relationships with land use types across the state of Louisiana.

LSU AgCenter researchers analyzed data from the 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey pertaining to age demographics,health insurance coverage and health care access in 18 hurricane-affected parishes in Louisiana.

To help understand the dynamics of the displacement of Louisiana’s population following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, LSU AgCenter researchers analyzed data from a survey commissioned by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

As competition between food and bioenergy drives up prices of corn, soybeans and other farm commodities, Louisiana has untapped land that could be put into production for alternative crops, according to agricultural industry observers.

The LSU AgCenter Pecan Research and Extension Station in Shreveport hosted a seminar on pecan growing on Feb. 28, 2008, which was attended by 35 growers.

Richard Fontenot can’t sit still. With more than 2,500 acres to farm, he can’t afford to. But his efforts and contributions to Louisiana agriculture led to his being named the 2008 Louisiana Farmer of the Year.

James L. Griffin, an LSU AgCenter weed scientist, discovered this golf ball in a sugarcane field

A survey of AgCenter employees was conducted to determine basic knowledge about biotechnology and genetic modification, and the acceptance of GM and GE methodology.

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Winter 2008.pdf