(Distributed 03/26/10) BELLE ROSE, La. – First-grade students at Belle Rose Primary School in Assumption Parish are learning why it’s important to eat more fruits and vegetables through a hands-on project at their school.

(Distributed 03/25/10) ST. JOSEPH, La. – Tensas Parish study circles will be turning talk into action following the results of a project focused on turning the tide on poverty, which was presented to the Tensas Revitalization Alliance March 23.

(Distributed 03/25/10) Easter is second to Halloween as the most important candy-eating occasion of the year. A 2009 Nielsen survey reported that consumers were expected to buy more than 120 million pounds of candy in the week leading up to Easter.

(Audio 03/29/10) The best time to prune spring-flowering trees and shrubs is when they just finish flowering. Be sure to prune only what is necessary. Find out some of the trees and shrubs that should be pruned this time of the year. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 03/29/10) Now is a good time to clean out your water garden if it needs cleaning. Check for accumulated gunk at the bottom of your pond, and remove all plants and fish before cleaning. Learn more about the water garden cleaning process in this advice. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 03/29/10) March through early April is a good time to get gladiolas bulbs planted into gardens. Here are some tips on what to look for when choosing gladiolas corms and how to care for this tall, stately flower. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 03/29/10) April has some of the finest weather Louisiana experiences all year. Now is a wonderful time to get in your vegetable garden and begin planting. Hear which vegetables are best to grow this time of the year. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(Audio 03/29/10) We expect our rose bushes to grow vigorously and produce many beautiful flowers. To allow this to happen, fertilizing your rose bushes this month is a great idea. Hear which types of fertilizers will work best for your roses. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

(TV News 03/29/10) Cold weather clung to Louisiana this winter which kept strawberries out of the markets. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard reports that as the weather warms, the crop is picking up and consumers can get their fix of this springtime favorite. (Runtime: 1:08)

(Distributed 03/25/10) The cucumber family, properly known as the Cucurbitaceae (cu-cur-bit-A-cee-ee), provides a wide variety of vegetables popular for the spring, summer and fall home vegetable garden. Members of the cucumber family (often called “cucurbits”) that can be planted now and into April include summer squash, zucchini, winter squash, mirliton (in south Louisiana), pumpkin, gourd, cucuzzi, watermelon, cantaloupe, cushaw, luffa and, of course, cucumber.