"Irrigation Basics for Landscape Contractors" workshops are scheduled throughout the year, as the need arises, to prepare individuals for taking the licensing exam. The course is optional but is HIGHLY recommended and has been very usefull for individuals seeking their Irrigation Contractor's license. Workshops will be held in Baton Rouge on November 9-10, 2011; March 14-15, 2012; June 6-7, 2012; and November 7-8, 2012.

The Louisiana Horticulture Law states that no person shall receive fees, advertise or solicit business in a regulated profession or occupation unless he holds the appropriate license or permit, or has a regular employee who holds the appropriate license or permit, or is employed by a person who holds the appropriate license or permit. This program is managed by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

This guide addresses sprayer calibration issues. Mixing examples are also provided.

Provides a summary of points to consider in the decision to adopt variable rate technology. An estimate of costs associated with selected variable rate technology services is also included.

This document lists several web pages with various safety-related information.

This article introduces important concepts and ideas for a proper setup of ground sprayers for fungicide applications.

Irrigation water tests should be done when the irrigation system is installed and with some frequency, depending on the outcome of the initial test, location (are you near the coast?) and the potential for fluctuations in water-source quality. Paper prepared by: Dara M Park, L. B. McCarty and Sarah A. White of Clemson University.

Simply put, rollover accidents happen when the tractor is in an unstable situation. To reduce the risks of a rollover accident, here are some tips.

This technical report prepared by the Breaking New Ground Resource Center at Purdue University details important aspects and considerations on lift attachments for tractors and combines.

This article details instructions on how to build a tractor lift. It was prepared by the AgrAbility project at Kentucky.

Continuation of the description of common machine hazards and how to recognize them.

This is a manager's guide to safe trucking during agricultural planting and harvest seasons produced by the American Trucking Associations

This series of presentations discusses the basic information needed by landscape contractors to design and install quality irrigation systems.

This presentation discusses the relationship between soil and plants in landscape irrigation management and design.

This presentation discusses concepts needed to select and design wiring systems to operate irrigation valves and controllers.

This presentation discusses the equipment and design methodology for landscape micro- or drip-irrigation systems.

This presentation discusses the types of sprinklers and equipment commonly used in landscape irrigation.

This presentation discusses key concepts to be considered when designing landscape irrigation systems to ensure adequate coverage and uniformity of water application.

This presentation discusses many concepts and ideas that should be considered when disigning landscape irrigation systems.

This presentation discusses the principles and calculations used in designing irrigation systems.

This presentation discusses several of the characteristics of irrigation pipe that should be known when designing irrigation systems.

This presentation discusses the necessary equipment to prevent backflows and cross-connections of various water sources.

This article details procedures on how to calibrate anhydrous ammonia applicators

Describes safety procedures around anhydrous ammonia application equipment.

Louisiana horse owners can reduce the impact of their facilities on local waterways and groundwater by adopting management practices that minimize the potential for non-point source water pollution.

Tips for water conservation for July the Smart Irrigaiton Month

This article details fatal accident rates in the workplace and why agriculture is still among the most dangerous industries in the United States.

This article describes common machine hazards and how to recognize them.

This article introduces the concept of hearing safety.

One of the most important objectives during spraying is the delivery of the correct volume per area (gallons per acre). The efficiency of the chemical intimately depends on the application of an accurate rate. Learn how to calibrate a sprayer by following these simple steps. Illustrations, useful conversions and worksheets included. (PDF Format Only)

This article outlines agricultural aviaiton in Louisiana, showing the number of aircraft in the state, most common models, etc.

This PDF file contains information released by NIOSH about farm safety as well as tips on how to be safe working around animals or with machinery.

This article explains how costly farm accidents are and gives some examples on how to avoid them.

Article discusses the importanc eof communication in the prevention of accidents in the farm.

Farm tractors are involved in one-fourth of all farm machinery accidents. Most accidents occurs between April and October, with June being the peak accident month.

This articles explains the importance of hand signals on the farm to prevent accidents.

This article explains how calibration clinics are done and what to expect from them.

Rotational grazing has long been used by livestock producers as a way to use pasture more efficiently. By dividing large pastures into smaller paddocks, animals make better use of available forage. Additionally, pastures that are not allowed to be grazed down to such an extent that soil erosion can occur protect the environment by preventing sediment loss into adjacent waterways.

Instructions on how to calibrate granular applicators.

This article breaks down the number of agricultural aircraft in use in Louisiana.

General information about pesticide drift and how to avoid it.

Suburban and rural horse farms can suffer from problems created by mud in areas of concentrated horse traffic. Because of the frequent trampling of wet ground, mud usually occurs at key locations on the farm—gates, loafing and feeding areas, and watering areas. Once mud appears, it is difficult to remediate, and the problem recurs with each rain. Depending on the enterprise, cost-share programs may be available that can offset the expense of installing high traffic pads

Horses are important for companionship, sport, work, pleasure, education, and therapy. To be good stewards of the land, however, horse farmers should manage their farms in a way to minimize the potential for negatively impacting the environment with horse manure

Pervious concrete may be an alternative surface material for such horse facilities. Pervious concrete is a mixture of the same ingredients, except the sand is reduced or omitted and the amount of water is reduced. A properly installed concrete pad, using pervious concrete, is capable of allowing high volumes of water to permeate through the material. Depending on the aggregate used and the compacted density of the pad, the amount of infiltration of material through the pad can be varied

Horse property barns and stables may contain large quantities of mud because of excessive traffic. Mud is more than a mess or nuisance. Winter and spring rains can cause mud and manure to runoff into nearby waterways. Nutrients and sediment in runoff are a source of non-point source pollution, which can degrade water quality. Louisiana horse owners can reduce the impact on streams and bayous by specific adopting management practices.

This fact sheet is designed to provide a brief introduction to the site selection, design, installation and management of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in humid and sub-humid areas. This overview is not intended to give all the information necessary for a complete and functional system. The reader is referred to more comprehensive documents for greater details in each category.