(Radio News 10/03/11) The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the LSU AgCenter a $17.2 million grant to work with 16 other partners in eight states on developing biofuels and biochemicals from energy cane and sweet sorghum. Vadim Kochergin, the director of the Louisiana Institute for Biofuels and Bioprocessing, has been working on this process for several years at the LSU AgCenter’s Audubon Sugar Institute. (Runtime: 2:00)
(Video News 09/16/11) Tropical weather is always a threat to the state’s sugarcane crop. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard reports that the recent tropical storm did affect this year’s and next year’s crops. (runtime: 1:26)
(Radio News 09/16/11) LSU AgCenter programs are helping youngsters become healthier and more physically active. September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The number of overweight and obese children is alarming, says Anne Kean, who manages the LSU AgCenter’s Body Walk program. (Runtime: 1:25)
(Radio News 09/21/11) Patsy Poche is passionate about reading to young children. As a member of the Junior League of Baton Rouge, she is working with the LSU AgCenter’s Little Bookshelf program, which helps provide books to parents of newborns. (Runtime: 1:40)
(Radio News 09/01/11) A teacher gave instructions for a science experiment, but she wasn’t talking to her students. She was instructing other teachers. About 125 teachers gathered on LSU’s campus for LSU AgCenter 4-H Youth Energy Program. The teachers received an energy curriculum and instruction on conducting experiments relating to renewable and nonrenewable energy and conservation. (Runtime: 2:05)
(Radio News 09/09/11) Tropical Storm Lee dumped rain across much of Louisiana’s sugarcane belt. LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois surveyed damage across the state. Downed cane is harder to harvest, but Gravois says the dry, sunny days that followed the storm did help. (Runtime: 1:15)
(Radio News 09/19/11) Poultry houses sit among the rolling hills of north central Louisiana. Poultry is the state’s most valuable animal crop. Researchers at the LSU AgCenter’s Hill Farm Research Station are trying to find ways to make poultry production less expensive. (Runtime: 1:10)
(Radio News 09/23/11) Drought over the past year in north Louisiana prompted LSU AgCenter researcher Ryon Walker to conduct a study on feeding protein supplements to cattle. Because of the lack of rainfall, hay production was low, and Walker said cattle producers were feeding their herd older, lower-quality hay. (Runtime: 1:10)
(Radio News 09/26/11) Beef cattle research at the LSU AgCenter's Hill Farm Research Station is looking at cow size and cow efficiency. Researcher Ryon Walker says projections about world population in 2050 prompted him to study how cow size may affect the efficiency of raising cattle. (Runtime: 1:10)
(Radio News 09/06/11) Louisiana’s drought has affected crops and livestock. It’s also affecting the state’s wildlife, particularly deer. LSU AgCenter wildlife specialist Don Reed says this summer’s dry weather has decreased the food supply for deer. (Runtime: 1:35)
(Video News 09/07/11) One way to get students excited about learning is to get them away from their desks and actively involved with experiments. The LSU AgCenter’s 4-H program is showing teachers how to conduct more science experiments in their classrooms. (Runtime: 1:54)
(Radio News 09/20/11) Poultry litter can be a valuable fertilizer to farmers. LSU AgCenter poultry researcher Bill Owens is studying stacking poultry litter in the poultry house between flocks. (Runtime:1:15)
(Video News 09/23/11) Poultry and beef producers depend on LSU AgCenter research to help them grow their livestock efficiently. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard visited the Hill Farm Research Station in Homer where these two animal crops figure prominently in the station’s research. (Runtime: 1:36)
(Radio News 09/07/11) No longer is tailgating simply grilling burgers by the stadium. It’s an elaborate affair in Louisiana. LSU AgCenter nutritionist and food safety expert Beth Reames says the carefree attitude of tailgating should not lead to carelessness when it comes to food safety. (Runtime: 1:15)
(Video News 09/13/11) Plants have withered under hot, dry conditions that have dominated much of the summer. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard reports that these plants have become a less-attractive food source for wildlife in Louisiana. (Runtime: 1:38)
(Radio News 09/27/11) LSU AgCenter economists estimate that the 2011 drought has caused $390 million in damage to Louisiana agriculture. Kurt Guidry says crops and farmers were affected in three different ways. (Runtime: 1:20)