(Radio News 09/28/09) Food and football go hand in hand. Just like players take precautions on the field to protect themselves, tailgaters also should take precautions with their food. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Radio News 09/28/09) New guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy focus not only on how much weight to gain but also on the importance of being a healthy weight when you become pregnant, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames. The Institute of Medicine recently issued weight gain recommendations that say a woman of healthy weight before pregnancy should gain between 25 and 35 pounds during the pregnancy. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Radio News 09/28/09) Louisiana’s wild alligator season runs from September to the end of October. But LSU AgCenter aquaculture agent Mark Shirley expects only a few hunters to be out this season because of lower prices and demand for alligator skins. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Radio News 09/28/09) Workers at Vermilion Gator Farm are busy curing the skins of some of the 80,000 alligators the farm raises. But next year the skinning and curing sheds will sit mostly empty. The Raphael Sagrera family has operated the farm for more than 25 years, but they’ve never seen a year as bad for the business as this one. In June, they didn’t collect alligator eggs, and they won’t raise a crop in 2010. (Runtime: 1:30)

(Radio News 09/28/09) Hurricanes Gustav and Ike last fall disrupted alligator nesting this summer. LSU AgCenter aquaculture agent Mark Shirley explains. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Distributed 09/24/09) Here’s some more depressing news about losing weight – the older you get, the less you can eat. Heli Roy, LSU AgCenter nutritionist, says one reason people aren’t successful with weight-loss programs is as they age, they have to gear down the quantity and richness of the foods they eat. So even though they may be eating less calorie-dense food – and less food – their bodies need fewer and fewer calories.

(Distributed 09/24/09) SHREVEPORT, La. – Enter the World of Wonder and follow a path through a forest as you listen to birds chirping and water trickling in the wetlands. Feel the soft fur of different types of animals, and count the years of growth on a large tree “cookie.”

(Distributed 09/23/09) The LSU AgCenter will conduct an ornamental and turfgrass field day for nursery and landscape professionals Oct. 15 at its Burden Center in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 09/23/09) PONCHATOULA, La. – Construction will pause on a “high-performance” demonstration house on two separate dates to give the general public and housing professionals insider views of the innovative structure being built in the Pine Island subdivision.

(Distributed 09/23/09) BOSSIER CITY, La. – Food handling precautions can prevent illness from sidelining football fans who enjoy tailgating, according to LSU AgCenter experts.