(Distributed 09/09/04) Cattle farmers are going back to school to learn how to improve their herds and possibly their income – with help from the LSU AgCenter and other groups.

(Distributed 06/22/04) The grain harvest is progressing well, but yields are down because of too much rain at the wrong time in the growing season, experts say. "This year was, and still is, a challenging year for farmers," said LSU AgCenter Dr. David Lanclos.

(Distributed 05/21/04)Recent rains have drenched Louisiana, and LSU AgCenter experts and farmers say the outlook is not good for the state’s rice crop.

(Distributed 09/07/04) Growing soybeans in Southwest Louisiana has been difficult this year, and the yields show it, but the bean crop north of Alexandria has fared well, according to Dr. David Lanclos, LSU AgCenter soybean specialist.

(Distributed 05/13/04) Cattle producers and other industry leaders learned about the development of a new National Animal Identification System (NAIS) during the annual LSU AgCenter’s Rosepine Research Station Field Day May 6.

(Distributed 09/01/04) The LSU AgCenter’s Audubon Sugar Institute celebrated new facilities and a federal grant at an open house Tuesday (Aug. 31) at its research and development laboratories in St. Gabriel.

(Distributed on 09/28/04) Water quality issues in agriculture will be highlighted during the LSU AgCenter’s Red River Research Station Field Day slated for Oct. 15.

(Distributed 10/13/04) The LSU AgCenter is working with a humanitarian organization on a genetically engineered product known as Golden Rice that could help reduce malnutrition in developing countries.

(Distributed 10/13/04) Fire ants are more than a nuisance to poultry growers. They can bring serious economic consequences to those operations, according to LSU AgCenter experts.

(Distributed 05/20/04) Mushrooms in lawns and moldy foods can be health hazards for your dogs, according to LSU AgCenter veterinarian Dr. Steve Nicholson.

(Distributed 06/04/04) LSU AgCenter rice specialist Dr. Johnny Saichuk is on the trail of a mystery, and he’s asking farmers for clues. "Nobody seems to be able to get a good hold on it," Saichuk said. "In fields afflicted with the `mystery disease,’ areas of the field usually are completely killed – or at least thinned out severely. Plants also are shorter, less healthy and have bronzed or rust colored lower leaves."

(Distributed 05/05/04) May generally brings higher temperatures, more mosquitoes and more chances to contract West Nile virus, as well as other mosquito-borne diseases, caution experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 05/12/04) Nine LSU AgCenter aquaculture research projects recently received additional funding with the distribution of nearly $293,000 in earmarked funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

(Distributed 06/01/04) LSU AgCenter poultry specialists say Louisiana poultry producers need to use extra caution now that Avian Influenza has been found in a Northeast Texas flock.

(Distributed 05/24/04) Biological control of aflatoxin contamination in corn is one of the topics that will be discussed during the LSU AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station Field Day June 10 in St. Joseph.

(Distributed 06/16/04) Louisiana teachers have the chance to learn more about financial management again this summer, thanks to the LSU AgCenter. Their education is part of an ongoing effort intended to help Louisiana high school students become more financially literate.

(Distributed 06/11/04) Dr. Don Groth held up a Petri dish containing a few spots of a dark mold, and then posed a question. "You wouldn’t think that would cause $10 million to $20 million worth of damage a year, would you?" asked Groth, a plant pathologist at the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station near Crowley.

(Distributed 05/05/04) The LSU AgCenter has announced a food science summit to be held May 19-20 in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 05/20/04) Stressing that production agriculture alone is not enough to sustain rural economies, a leading food science expert this week said farm productivity needs to be converted to consumer-ready products.

(Distributed 05/13/04) Poultry production is Louisiana’s largest animal industry – a spot it’s held for the past five years – and its $1.24 billion contribution to the state’s economy makes it the second-largest segment of Louisiana’s agricultural industries.

(Distributed 06/09/04) "It’s the No. 1 corn production problem in the South," Dr. Steve Moore says of aflatoxin. A product of hot, dry field conditions, aflatoxin is a byproduct of a fungal infection that generally occurs in drought-stressed corn. And Moore, a researcher at the LSU AgCenter’s Dean Lee Research Station near Alexandria, is trying to find a remedy.

(Distributed 05/05/04) Linda Zaunbrecher of Gueydan is ready to go back to Cuba, but she said she hopes next time she goes as a tourist.

(Distributed 05/05/04) The LSU AgCenter recently hosted a delegation of National 4-H Leadership Trust Committee members, who held their quarterly meeting in New Orleans and learned more about Louisiana’s youth development programs during the visit.

(Distributed 05/20/04)The LSU AgCenter is one of the sponsors of a Specialty Cheese Symposium to be held June 1 at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Business Center in Hammond.

(Distributed 05/19/04) The annual Mid-South Greenhouse Growers' Conference is scheduled for June 8-10 at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss.

(Distributed 06/04/04) More than three dozen agricultural company representatives and county agents attended an LSU AgCenter clinic Friday (June 4) to learn more about how herbicides can drift from a field and affect other crops.

(Distributed 05/06/04) Rice farmers who want to use a recently approved herbicide are advised to follow a recommended timing for its application to fight red rice.

(Distributed 06/01/04) One Southeast Louisiana farm family has added candle making to it’s list of chores – as a means of increasing production income. But the candles they’re making aren’t run of the mill. These candles are made from soybeans.

(Distributed 06/09/04) LSU AgCenter agents are focusing on educating young people about food and exercise to decrease obesity in Louisiana’s children.For example, in Jefferson Parish, students and parents from one school are being taught about healthy nutrition and exercise.

(Distributed 05/19/04) The recent prolonged period of excessive rainfall across much of the state could lead to health problems for livestock and horses, according to Dr. Steven S. Nicholson, veterinarian with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 06/01/04) Louisiana dairy farmers have received historically low prices for the past two years, but good times appear to be on the horizon – at least for the next few months, according to LSU AgCenter specialists.

(Distributed 06/02/04) Louisiana is blessed with abundant rainfall and large supplies of surface water, but the groundwater supplies have been declining in three major aquifers. Now, farmers are looking for more efficient ways irrigate their crops.

(Distributed 06/11/04) Filling the market for specialty cheeses could be one way to add value to the state’s dairy industry, according to experts. The LSU AgCenter and others recently brought together dairy farmers, retailers and wine and cheese makers for a symposium to explore those possibilities.

(Distributed 05/27/04) Forage producers toured three different operations this week to learn the latest techniques in the production and use of high-quality grass to support the livestock operations in central and northwestern Louisiana

(Distributed 05/05/04) Groups in two more areas of the state completed the 10-week Community Leadership and Economic Development program this spring.

(Distributed 05/11/04) An LSU AgCenter faculty member will conduct research and lecture overseas this summer as a result of a Fulbright Scholar award.

(Distributed 05/07/04) Louisiana sugarcane farmers have a chance to diversify their sugarcane crops with the release of two new sugarcane varieties.

(Distributed 05/26/04) Excessive moisture from heavy rainfall has set the stage for disease problems in rice fields, LSU AgCenter experts told farmers Tuesday.

(Distributed 05/19/04) Participants in an LSU AgCenter workshop earlier this month were told that lumber drying is one way to add even more value to the state’s forest production.

(Distributed 06/09/04) Farmers, agribusiness people and government leaders attended a two-day LSU AgCenter Beef and Forage Short Course in Alexandria late last month.

(Distributed 05/12/04) Louisiana rice producers will learn about water conservation methods during an LSU AgCenter workshop May 26 in Vidalia.

(Distributed 06/01/04) "On one layer you have the bio-physical sciences, and on the other layer you have the social and economic sciences," Dr. David K. Loomis told a national conference on the social and economic factors affecting coastal management.

(Distributed 05/20/04) The festival, in its third year, is being held from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. June 5 in the shade of the oak trees that cover Magdalen Square in downtown Abbeville. If the weather is bad, it will be held in the Cecil J. McCrory Exhibit Hall at 1105 West Port St. behind the LSU AgCenter Extension office.

(Distributed 05/06/04) Aquaculture professor Dr. Ray McClain studies crawfish at the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station near Crowley, but he rarely makes a meal out of his subjects.

(Distributed 05/13/04) Wheat in Louisiana has turned a golden hue, and early to mid-May signals the start of the harvest. The crop, consisting of 150,000 acres, looks good, experts say.

(Distributed 05/19/04) The LSU AgCenter has a variety of information available to help you both before and after flooding.

(Distributed 06/22/04) Eight adults were honored for their contributions to the Louisiana 4-H program Tuesday (June 22) during ceremonies in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 05/05/04) The fourth Louisiana Beef-Forage Short Course will be held May 27-28 at Alexandria.

(Distributed 05/21/04) Dr. Jerry Ward’s research on heat stress in dairy cattle wouldn’t be as effective if he didn’t have the resources of the LSU AgCenter’s weather station at the Southeast Research Station in Franklinton where he works.

(Distributed 05/07/04) New LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station facilities are symbolic of the top-notch effort under way to help the state’s rice farmers, the chairman of the Louisiana Rice Research Board said Thursday (May 6).

(Distributed 05/06/04) It’s the time of the year when Formosan subterranean termites swarm and spread their colonies. It’s also a good time to make sure you don’t give them any help in spreading now or any time of the year, caution experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 06/11/04) Farmers who drill-seed rice and want to decrease the time needed to establish a permanent flood may want to consider gibberellic acid to make young rice plants get tall enough, an LSU AgCenter scientist has determined.

(Distributed 05/25/04) Lab work with DNA is doing more than helping to solve crimes. It also is being used to determine if new experimental rice varieties being developed by LSU AgCenter researchers will meet farmers’ needs.

(Distributed 10/13/04) Heavy weekend rains from Tropical Storm Matthew have been responsible for losses to sugarcane farmers and mills in Louisiana, according to a sugarcane specialist with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 10/14/04) They look like little tiny nomads, constantly on the move. They are hunters in search of water and something sweet, and, once an Argentine ant finds a food source, you can bet she will let her colony know about it.

(Distributed 09/22/04) The LSU AgCenter’s Northwest Louisiana Master Gardener’s organization is holding its 4th annual World of Gardening Regional Conference Oct. 15-17 at the Highland Center here.

(Distributed 09/22/04) The LSU AgCenter is working to help Louisiana hunters understand the rules, enjoy the outdoors and provide habitats for wildlife.

(Distributed 09/21/04) Louisianians, especially in the northern part of the state, are beginning to "winterize" their lawns. Before they do so, however, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske says it’s important to make sure you’re using the right product.

(Distributed 09/14/04) The 2004 Louisiana cotton crop could be in jeopardy if Hurricane Ivan or any of the rain it spins off hits the state this week.

(Distributed 09/14/04) Horse owners who have not had their animals vaccinated against Eastern Equine Encephalitis are encouraged to do so to prevent the disease, according to LSU AgCenter veterinarian Dr. Steve Nicholson.

(Distributed 09/09/04) Scientists at the LSU AgCenter’s Pecan Research Station near here are evaluating the economics involved in establishing and maintaining a new orchard.

(Distributed 09/09/04) Louisiana soybean producers are facing a new type of stink bug that is equally damaging but more difficult to control than the green and brown stink bugs they are accustomed to fighting, says LSU AgCenter entomologist Dr. Jack Baldwin.

(Distributed 09/02/04) Dr. Stuart Helliwell’s sunglasses immediately glazed with fog as he stepped from the air-conditioned vehicle into the thick late morning air.

(Distributed 10/19/04) An LSU AgCenter researcher says trimming pecan trees could make owners more money in the long run.

(Distributed 10/19/04) If you are own forestland, the LSU AgCenter has a workshop concerning tax issues you won’t want to miss. The workshop titled "Tax Issues for Forest Owners" will be held at five locations across the state during November and December.

(Distributed 09/02/04) Spotty infestations of bagworms are showing up all over the state and are causing major problems in some areas, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 09/02/04) More than 125 farmers and agribusiness people participated in the cotton and feed grain tours at the LSU AgCenter’s Rapides Parish/Dean Lee Crop Field Day August 26.

(Distributed 09/01/04) The LSU AgCenter and the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce recently teamed up to teach leadership skills to community volunteers from the area.

(Distributed 08/31/04) Forest landowners will learn how proper management can help them turn a profit during a workshop scheduled for Sept. 25.

(Distributed 08/31/04) Two faculty members from the LSU AgCenter recently began a two-year weed control study in Chacahoula that could benefit iris growers statewide.

(Distributed 08/31/04) LSU AgCenter Community Economic Development agents are conducting workshops around the state to help new businesses get started or established business owners to be more productive.

(Distributed 08/27/04) Five LSU AgCenter inventors who received patents during the past year were honored at a recognition reception at the Lod Cook Conference Center on the LSU campus here Wednesday (Aug. 25).

(Distributed 08/27/04) Rosemary Funk of Lafayette has been a Louisiana Master Gardener since 2000 – when she retired and decided it was time to start doing something in the yard.

(Distributed 09/28/04) The LSU AgCenter’s Citrus Research Station has set Oct. 20 for its field day this year to report on ongoing research projects and improvements at the station.

(Distributed 09/22/04) Want to reduce the number of fire ant mounds in your yard? The key is to stop chasing them around your neighborhood, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 09/22/04) Four tours designed to provide information on beef, dairy, forages and forestry will be the focus of the LSU AgCenter’s Hill Farm Research Station Field Day scheduled for Oct. 14.

(Distributed 10/15/04) The recent rains soaked fields, wet down the cotton fiber and temporarily stopped the cotton harvest in the state.

(Distributed 10/22/04) New regulations could boost the local economy by encouraging fishermen to harvest more oysters from the lower Calcasieu Lake.

(Distributed 11/03/04) LSU AgCenter faculty members are working to increase awareness about the potentially devastating effects of diabetes and how to recognize its symptoms, and they have developed a new educational program to assist in those efforts.

(Distributed 10/14/04) The French will be learning about cotton later this year – with a little help from the LSU AgCenter. LSU AgCenter researchers and extension agents from Northeast Louisiana will be featured in a documentary on cotton set to appear later this year in France.

(Distributed 08/27/04) LSU AgCenter scientists at its Sweet Potato Research Station here are studying the effects of herbicides and soil compaction as they relate to producing high-quality sweet potatoes.

(Distributed 10/27/04) Louisiana farmers and agribusiness leaders will address ways to keep Louisiana’s agriculture and forestry competitive at the 2005 AgOutlook Conference Jan. 12-13 in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 10/27/04) Soil is an important factor in the forest ecosystem, and participants in a field day held recently at the LSU AgCenter’s Calhoun Research Station learned how to use good forest management practices to maintain the soil on their property.