Thirty-three agricultural producers were certified as Master Farmers at the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge on January 10, 2013.

Harper Armstrong has been farming in Louisiana for the past 47 years, continuing a tradition handed down to him by his father. He farms 2,500 acres of soybeans, corn and wheat in Morehouse Parish. He was recently selected as the Northeast Region Agricultural Producer of the Year and the 2013 Louisiana Farmer of the Year.

Donald Berken has been farming for the past 40 years, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He says it's the only thing he ever wanted to to do. He farms 980 acres of rice and soybeans in Jefferson Davis Parish.

Gerald Wood has been farming all his life. He farms almost 6,500 acres of sugarcane and timber in St. James and Pointe Coupee parishes and was a finalist for the 2013 Louisiana Farmer of the Year.

Smooth cordgrass is a perennial grass native to intertidal saline marshes along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts. It is important for coastal areas because it reduces coastal erosion. Smooth cordgrass stems reduce wave energy and build land. The roots stabilize existing land. Reducing coastal erosion is especially important in Louisiana because the state has the highest erosion rate in the continental United States. (PDF Format Only)

Anthony Plattsmier farms approximately 500 acres of rice and soybeans in St. Landry Parish. He has participated in the LSU AgCenter's rice verification program. (Running time: 1:10)

Attached is a list of professional engineering and planning firms that have experience in developing SPCC and SPC plans. Producers and companies needing plans are greatly encouraged to contact these companies and seek their guidance in implementing the practices required by SPCC/SPC. Firms that are not listed, and would like to be included in this list, are requested to contact Dr. Ron Sheffield at rsheffield@agcenter.lsu.edu.

The best management practices that apply most directly to the beef industry are in this publication. A brief description, purpose and conditions to which the practice applies are given for each of the BMPs listed. (PDF Format Only)

Contributing authors to the LSU AgCenter's Louisiana Conservation Tillage Handbook.

This publication was designed to inspire producers considering moving to a conservation tillage system. As with conventional tillage, conservation tillage systems have hurdles that must be overcome. Technology exists to overcome all of these obstacles, however.