(Distributed 03/25/04) They're planting by land and by air. Rice planting in South Louisiana is in full swing, and farmers say they are excited about the better price prospects they're seeing this growing season. Experts say the number of acres planted to rice in the state could be up 10 percent to 15 percent from last year.

(Distributed 03/04/04) Two LSU AgCenter faculty members have been elected to key leadership positions in the World Aquaculture Society.

(Distributed 03/04/04) Two faculty members LSU AgCenter’s Department of Entomology and three students from the LSU department were among the top winners at a recent southern regional conference of the Entomological Society of America held in Charleston, S.C.

(Distributed 03/04/04) Greenhouse tomato growers looking for alternative crops to grow when they don’t have tomatoes in their greenhouses could consider poinsettias, according to LSU AgCenter experts and growers.

(Distributed 03/04/04) A former Louisiana 4-H’er with an extensive background in communications has been appointed executive director of the Louisiana 4-H Foundation.

(Distributed 03/04/04) Representatives of a U.S. Agency for International Development-funded project in Ukraine are meeting in Baton Rouge this week (March 2-4) for review and planning sessions.

(Distributed 03/04/04) An effort to remove abandoned crab traps from the state’s waters already is seeing success – in its first outing.

(Distributed 03/04/04) An Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program employee from the LSU AgCenter’s Orleans Parish office was recognized Tuesday (March 2) as one of 24 national winners of Excellence in EFNEP Awards.

(Distributed 03/04/04) "We need people on the local level to help us with technology," Darrell Rivere told a legislative subcommittee, adding, "We need the support of the university base."

(Distributed 03/10/04) A four-day international gathering of more than 400 rice scientists and agricultural industry representatives came to a close Wednesday (March 3).

(Distributed 03/10/04) An LSU AgCenter project to build new offices and educational facilities in Avoyelles Parish moved one step closer to reality late last month when Allen Canning Co. made a $50,000 donation.

(Distributed 03/10/04) Three separate lumber-related workshops will be offered on May 6-8 at the LSU AgCenter’s Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center in Pollock.

(Distributed 03/10/04) In this age of terrorism, food processors must be careful about preventing tampering with their products, a food safety expert told the audience at the Louisiana Food Processors Conference in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 03/10/04) The annual Southwest Louisiana Garden Festival is scheduled for March 27-28 in the outdoor covered arena at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.

(Distributed 03/10/04) Winn Parish residents will be more informed about mosquitoes and transmission of the West Nile virus and other diseases when mosquito season hits this year – thanks to a collaborative effort among the LSU AgCenter and other agencies that is helping get important information out to them.

(Distributed 03/12/04) LSU AgCenter Vice Chancellor Paul Coreil was honored with a Distinguished Service Award during the annual Avoyelles Parish Sweet Potato Banquet, March 6.

(Distributed 03/12/04) The 25th Annual New Orleans Spring Garden Show is scheduled for May 8-9 at the New Orleans Botanical Garden on Victory Avenue in City Park.

(Distributed 03/12/04) The LSU AgCenter will hold its annual Performance Tested Bull Sale March 20 at the Dean Lee Research Station south of Alexandria.

(Distributed 03/12/04) The LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program are teaming up to offer a series of workshops on federal regulations concerning the control of storm-water runoff and pollution from small construction sites.

(Distributed 03/12/04) The LSU AgCenter’s Baton Rouge Spring Garden Show will bloom again March 27-28 on campus in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 03/12/04) Higher prices for fuels and fertilizers may increase production costs for Louisiana farmers this year, but an LSU AgCenter economist says higher prices for commodities mean growers still can farm at a profit.

(Distributed 03/16/04) Dr. David J. Boethel, associate vice chancellor at the LSU AgCenter, has been promoted to vice chancellor for research and director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station and will begin his new duties April 19.

(Distributed 03/18/04) The overall agriculture picture is far rosier than it was a year ago, according to the LSU AgCenter's 2004 Outlook.

(Distributed 03/19/04) Having a plan in place is one of the most important steps forest landowners should take before they try to sell their timber.

(Distributed 03/19/04) A name change, expanded mission and more involvement of community leaders are transforming the LSU AgCenter’s Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center into a place where people of all ages can come to have fun and learn life skills.

(Distributed 03/19/04) As a young man, Joe Mitcham Jr. considered a career in medicine. But being a Ruston native, he naturally had to try his patience with peaches.

(Distributed 03/22/04) LSU AgCenter scientists are gearing up to expand their battle with Formosan termites in the New Orleans French Quarter.

(Distributed 03/22/04) The LSU AgCenter will host a meeting focused on marketing agricultural commodities April 1 at the Scott Research and Extension Center in Winnsboro.

(Distributed 03/22/04) The LSU AgCenter’s Northwest Louisiana Master Gardeners will host their annual garden tour May 1-2 in Shreveport.

(Distributed 03/25/04) An international collection of entomologists, plant breeders, molecular biologists and plant pathologists met in Baton Rouge this week for a workshop on insect-resistant plants.

(Distributed 03/25/04) "The red imported fire ant is an equal opportunity pest that bothers everybody," said Dr. Bart Dreese, an entomologist with Texas Cooperative Extension, during a conference here this week aimed at dealing with the pests.

(Distributed 03/25/04) Louisiana rice farmers say they’re eager to plant their crops this year to take advantage of good weather and excellent prices.

(Distributed 03/10/04) With planting season for corn approaching, LSU AgCenter expert Dr. Charles Overstreet says the crop may be an excellent option for those who need to manage reniform nematodes.

(Distributed 03/25/04) Thirteen-year-old Macie Pruitt hopes her rendition of an old family favorite recipe is a winner in this year’s 4-H Commodity Cookery Contests.

(Distributed 03-26-04) The LSU AgCenter’s Rosepine Research Station will host its annual Beef Cattle and Forage Field Day May 6.

(Distributed 03/26/04) Skills Jannah Loyd learns from the LSU AgCenter’s 4-H youth development program help her overcome some of the obstacles she faces with Down syndrome.

(Distributed 03/31/04) Louisiana pecan producers are invited to a regional pecan production meeting scheduled for April 15 at the Red River Pecan Plantation in Fulton, Ark.

(Distributed 03/31/04) Louisiana is called the "Sportsman’s Paradise," and the LSU AgCenter’s 4-H program has found ways to teach the state’s youth valuable skills – particularly when hunting is in vogue and sleeping in a tent is hip.

(Distributed 03/31/04) Richard Davis, human resource manager for the Pilgrim’s Pride poultry producing plant here, hopes an LSU AgCenter program will teach his staff skills that will cut down employee turnover at the plant.

(Distributed 03/31/04) Many students at Robinson Elementary School in Monroe are working in a garden for the first time.

(Distributed 03/12/04) The LSU AgCenter and the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center recently teamed up to host the 2004 Southern Regional 4-H Biennial Conference in New Orleans.

(Distributed March 2004) For most people, fasting is an occasional choice, but for many people hunger is a year-round reality, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Annrose Guarino. She offers ways to help alleviate hunger.

(Distributed March 2004) March 23, the fourth Tuesday in March, is the American Diabetes Association "Alert" to locate the millions of Americans with undiagnosed diabetes. The Alert is an annual, one-day call-to-action for people to find out if they are at risk for diabetes, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.

(Distributed March 2004) Two of the most frequently asked questions by parents when visiting child-care programs are "What type of training does your staff participate in?" and "What educational backgrounds do your staff members have?"

(Distributed March 2004) Studies show children are better adjusted, do better in school, learn more and show the most improvement when members of their families are involved in their children’s early education.

(Distributed March 2004) March is a critical month in our vegetable gardens - early for some things and late for others. Timely planting is one way of increasing potential yield and decreasing production problems, says LSU Agricultural Center horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

(Distributed March 2004) With the arrival of March and April, we are squarely in the middle of the spring bedding plant season. Warm-season bedding plants make a great addition to Louisiana landscapes, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Allen Owings.

(Distributed March 2004) Lawn grasses are now showing spring re-growth across much of the state, but LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske warns against rushing out and applying fertilizers that will cause too much very early growth.

(Distributed March 2004) A recent LSU AgCenter survey of Louisiana home vegetable garden shows a "diamond in the rough," claims LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. The survey estimates that the state had 394,877 home gardens in 2003.

(Distributed March 2004) One of the most challenging problems in home landscapes is controlling weeds in ornamental beds, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Allen Owings. Start controlling them in early spring.

(Distributed March 2004) If you overseeded your lawn or athletic fields last fall, you should help your turf out of that "fix," says LSU Agricultural Center horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. The warm-season grass will be trying to re-establish itself as the cool-season, overseeded grass grows strong.

(Distributed March 2004) For many families, the arrival of a sizable tax refund check is the financial event of the year. "By carefully planning ahead, you can make that refund check bring you closer to your important goals," says LSU AgCenter family economics professor Dr. Jeanette Tucker.

(Distributed March 2004) 4-H’ers from 22 parishes attended the LSU AgCenter 4-H Food and Fitness Camp January 24-25 at the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center near Pollock. This year’s theme was "The Wonderful World of 4-H," borrowing from Walt Disney movies and characters, according to LSU AgCenter nutrition expert Catrinel Stanciu, advisor to the 4-H State Food and Fitness Board.

(Distribution March 2004)Choosing to place your child in the care of someone else while you work often is a decision that comes with a lot of emotion and concern – frequently brought on by unfamiliarity of what happens in the child-care setting.

(Distributed March 2004) One of the most important roles parents and caregivers serve is to ensure that the children entrusted to them thrive in healthy and safe environments, stresses LSU AgCenter child-care associate Cheri Gioe.