(Distributed 03/10/05) A Texas company may build a $75 million plant in Louisiana to use rice straw to make building material, according to an environmental brokering and marketing firm.

(Distributed 03/09/05) The LSU AgCenter will provide technical assistance training in April for shrimp producers who qualify for cash payments under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program.

(Distributed 03/01/05) The 2005 Spring Garden Show in New Orleans is set for April 2-3 in the Botanical Gardens on Victory Avenue in City Park.

(Distributed 03/10/05) The LSU AgCenter will offer a unique wildlife educational program at selected sites across the state beginning in late March. The program, "Master Wildlifer; Wildlife Conservation on Private Lands," is designed for landowners, land managers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts who are interested in including wildlife considerations in their current land management activities.

(Distributed 03/18/05) Citrus growers from California and Spain are beating Louisiana satsuma producers with inferior products, according to an LSU AgCenter horticulture professor.

(Distributed 03/01/05) Representatives of rice farming groups recently returned from Washington, D.C., slightly more optimistic than when they left, but they warn that agriculture faces potentially tough times.

(Distributed 03/10/05) The LSU AgCenter will offer a unique wildlife educational program at selected sites across the state beginning in late March.

(Distributed 03/11/05) Louisiana crawfish farmers are producing an abundant crop this year – although an abundant supply generally means more smaller crawfish, according to Dr. Ray McClain, LSU AgCenter aquaculture professor.

(Distributed 03/01/05) The LSU AgCenter and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana’s charitable subsidiary have joined forces on an interactive educational program designed to combat childhood obesity.

(Distributed 03/04/05) Four listening sessions will be conducted at various locations in the state to give Louisiana citizens a chance to comment on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

(Distributed 03/10/05) The 2005 Southwest Louisiana Garden Festival is set for April 2-3 in the outdoor covered arena at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.

(Distributed 03/04/05) The LSU AgCenter will once again transform its Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge into a place where people can learn about the wonders and magic of agriculture April 12-21.

(Distributed 03/01/05) The LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Mosquito Control Association are sponsoring a workshop for applicators interested in certification as pesticide applicators for mosquito control/public health.

(Distributed 03/31/05) Functional foods and the role they play in disease risks will be the subject of a public lecture on the LSU campus April 18.

(Distributed 03/01/05) Farmers and industry representatives are learning how the new Roundup Ready Flex cotton can help them control weeds and be competitive in producing a crop.

(Distributed 03/10/05) The LSU AgCenter’s Baton Rouge Spring Garden Show will blossom again March 19-20 on the campus in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 03/03/05) Researchers at the LSU AgCenter are working with a product that has the potential to provide several significant health benefits and add value to an important Louisiana commodity.

(Distributed 03/18/05) More than 200 forest landowners and industry representatives attended the Ark-La-Tex Forestry Forum March 10 to learn techniques important in growing trees and maximizing the profit potential from their land.

(Distributed 03/01/05) David Watson manages about 38 cows in the rolling hills of St. Helena Parish.

(Distributed 03/31/05) Forty-eight 4-H Club members and the adults who accompanied them recently spent two days learning new skills and developing a relationship with their horses during the Southwest Louisiana 4-H Horse Camp at the Burton Coliseum Outdoor Arena here.

(Distributed 03/10/05) LSU AgCenter soybean specialist Dr. David Lanclos and others shared information about the effects of Asian soybean rust on the crop in Brazil during a Farm Bureau Federation meeting held at the Rapides Parish Extension Center last week (March 4).

(Distributed 03/03/05) The LSU AgCenter will hold its annual Performance Tested Bull Sale March 19 at the Dean Lee Research Station south of Alexandria.