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The fall issue of Louisiana Agriculture focuses on invasive species. Topics covered include Asian carp, nutria, feral hogs, Formosan termites, fire ants, giant salvinia, Chinese privet, Mexican rice borer and more. Vol. 53, No. 4. 44 pages.
This issue of the magazine features a variety of topics. These include herbicide-resistant weeds, clover value in pastures, the calf-to-carcass program, disease management in wheat, rice hybrids, ag awareness programs for children, ryegrass management and more. Vol 53, No. 3. 28 pages
Crop nutrient demand and nutrient supply from broiler production by parish in 2008
(Vol. 53, No. 2) The focus of this issue is on LSU AgCenter efforts to assure that animal waste is converted into safe uses to grow food and protect the environment.
Louisiana Agriculture Winter 2010, Vol. 53, No. 1, 32 pages
Louisiana Agriculture Winter 2010, Vol. 53, No. 1, 32 pages
Crates of crabs sit on the bustling dock of Pontchartrain Blues, a crab processing facility in Slidell, La., on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain.
A quick way to test for salmonella in vegetable fields may be in the offing if research by an LSU AgCenter scientist proves its worth.
Thomas E. “Gene” Reagan, LSUAgCenter professor of entomology, has been selected as the Entomological Society of America’s2010 Subject Matter Expert.
Louisiana Agriculture Magazine
The LSU AgCenter’s research andeducational outreach programs are an integral piece of Louisiana’s agriculturalframework.
With sweet potato consumption rising and a shift in the industry toward more processed products, LSU AgCenter scientists showed growers how to optimize production at a field day held at theSweet Potato Research Station in Chase on Aug. 24.
Table 1. Outfield variety trials conducted across south Louisiana comparing L 03-371 with other commercial sugarcane varieties in 53 combine-harvested trials conducted from 2007 to 2009.
These articles were published in the summer 2010 issues of the Louisiana Agriculture Magazine.
Since their introduction into the U.S. rice market, hybrid rice varieties have been grown on an increasing amount of Louisiana acreage.
Ryegrass, a popular cool-season forage,may be desirable in some pastures, but it is a serious weed in wheat and rowcrops.
On Aug. 28, 2009, sugarcane variety L 01-299 was released to the Louisiana sugar industry by the LSU AgCenter in cooperation with the USDA-ARS and the American Sugar Cane League.
The bull performance testing program at the LSU AgCenter, which identifies the best genetics of a producer’s bulls, has been under way, twice annually,since 1958.
The LSU AgCenter’s Calf to Carcass Program helps beef cattle producers learn how their animals perform after they are weaned and in the marketplace.
Warm-season grasses are the most valuable forage resource in Louisiana livestock production, filling the forage demand during the summer and providing hay for winter feed.
A dozen new members of the Louisiana 4-H Hall of Fame were recognized at a ceremony Aug. 11 at the Louisiana 4-H Museumin Mansura for their years of service to 4-H clubs across the state.
The next time you travel to New Orleans, look for the Jesuit church for Immaculate Conception Parish, which is on Baronne St. just off Canal St. and across from the Roosevelt Hotel. That all used to be sugarcane.
The tarnished plant bug is the most yield-limiting and costly arthropod pest attacking Louisiana cotton. Integrated pest management tactics are limited for tarnished plant bug, and infestations are controlled almost exclusively with chemicals.
The LSU AgCenter Forage Quality Laboratory at the Southeast Research Station provides feed and forage analysis for Louisiana and Mississippi forage and livestock producers.
Herbicide-resistant weeds have been causing havoc in crop fields across the South, and they appear to be “just an eyelash away” from being confirmed as a problem in Louisiana, an LSU AgCenter weed scientist told the participants at the at the Aug. 4 field day at the Dean Lee Research Stationin Alexandria.
Entomologists for many years have dealt with insect resistance to insecticides. For weed scientists, however, weed resistance to herbicides is relatively new.
Community gardens are blossoming in Shreveport neighborhoods and providing access to cheap, healthy food for the people who live there.
In Louisiana, most row crops are produced on “stale” seedbeds, which means the fields are prepared in the fall,allowing vegetation to cover the field over the winter and help prevent soil erosion.
If not properly managed, diseases can reduce grain yield and quality,adversely affecting the profitability of wheat production in Louisiana. The major diseases of Louisiana wheat are leaf rust and stripe rust.
According to LSU AgCenter estimates in 2008, 20 greenhouse tomato producers in the state had a total of about 130,000 square feet in production, with sales of more than $1 million at an average price per pound of $1.50.
CALHOUN, La. – Topics ranged from value-added chemical products from recycled wood to feral hogs at a forum for forest landowners on Jan. 16, 2010, at the LSU AgCenter Calhoun Research Station.
Every year plant breeders introduce new shrubs for landscape use. At the same time, people are just starting to plant a few shrubs introduced in earlier years. The LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station evaluates landscape performance of many new ornamental plants, including flowering shrubs.
Groundcovers continue to be popular landscape plants in the southeastern United States. The two most popular ground covers in Louisiana are liriope and monkey grass (also called mondograss). Monkey grass is closely related to liriope.
One of the first and most important decisions Louisiana rice producers face during the growing season is when to begin planting their rice crop. Many variables are factored into this decision, including variety selection, seeding rate and method, and weather conditions.
In 2004, the LSU AgCenter transformed a former hay field into a 25-acre turf grass and ornamental horticulture research area as the newest addition to the Burden Center in Baton Rouge, a facility dedicated to the viability and success of Louisiana’s commercial nursery, landscape and turf grass industry.
Nearly 8 million tons of nitrogen in commercial fertilizers are applied annually in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin, which makes up about 40 percent of the contiguous United States.
These news articles appears in the winter 2010 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.
A safe food supply doesn’t just happen,as 28 people could tell you after attending a three-day training session on Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points, commonly called HACCP, at the LSU AgCenter on Feb. 2-4, 2010.
The LSU AgCenter has been named2009 Conservation Communicator of theYear in the 46th annual Governor’s ConservationAchievement Recognition Program.
Agriculture is one of the primary economic engines for Louisiana. The agriculture industry, which encompasses many facets in the farm-gate-to-dinner-plate spectrum, is all together about a $30 billion piece of the Louisiana economy.
The most important traits to consider when developing new rice varieties are grain yield, milling and grain quality,disease resistance, maturity, resistance to lodging (plants falling over) and seedling vigor. Stability of these traits across different environments and seasons is critical for consistent production.
Numerous studies have demonstrated improved productivity and economic benefits of controlling either external or internal parasites in cow-calf herds and in stockers – young animals not yet ready for fattening or breeding. Research is extremely limited, however, on the combined effects of both horn fly and nematode control in beef cattle production.
The1958 science fiction cult classic movie “The Blob” featured an alien amorphous creature that consumed what ever it touched and was nearly impossible to stop. In 1998, science fiction became science fact when the invasive plant giant salvinia was first identified in Toledo Bend Reservoir in Louisiana.
ALEXANDRIA, La. – The Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association inducted Ben Legendre, LSU AgCenter sugarcane scientist, into the Agricultural Hall of Fame during the organization’s annual conference in February 2010.
LAKE CHARLES, La. – More than 800 children learned about animals and the origins of their food at Ag Adventures on Feb. 3-4, 2010, held in conjunction with the LSU AgCenter’s Southwest Regional Livestock Show.
Small greenhouse tomato operations are common in the United States.Rising transportation expenses, which now account for a substantial part of tomato production costs, provide new opportunities for marketing locally produced tomatoes at a reasonable price.
Wheat acreage fluctuates widely from year to year, primarily because of grain and fertilizer prices and weather patterns affecting planting and harvest. Marketing small grains in late spring when wheat is harvested provides growers with much-needed cash flow to cover the costs of production of summer crops such as soybeans.
2010 marks an impressive milestone for the LSU AgCenter Livestock Show – the 75th show. The show’s longevity, adaptability and continued popularity among youth are indicators of the event’s success. In 2009, nearly 6,700 youth were enrolled in 4-H livestock projects.
Livestock projects have continued to ground energetic youth in reality. And 2010 marks the 75th annual LSU AgCenterLivestock Show – an event celebrating all that young people have learned about raising beef, dairy cattle, goats, hogs, poultry and sheep – knowledge that helps mold them into hard-working, responsible adults.
Chinese privet is not the only plant that has invaded the Louisiana landscape and created problems for farmers, forest owners and homeowners.
Louisiana is a beautiful state with a unique blend of cultures and habitats. Positioned on the Gulf of Mexico and at the mouth of the Mississippi River,the state benefits economically from international trade and interstate commerce.
The Kellogg Company of Battle Creek, Mich., recently announced a partnership with the LSU AgCenter to develop a sustainability program for Louisiana rice producers who grow rice for Kellogg’s products.
The Mexican rice borer, a threat to sugarcane and rice, has moved eastward from Texas extending farther into Louisiana.
The Formosan subterranean termite is considered the most important structural pest of the new millennium. It is more aggressive than native subterranean termites, and colonies may be greater in numbers reaching millions of termites.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, state legislators and ConAgra Food officials thanked the LSU AgCenter during the Nov. 5 grand opening of ConAgra’s new sweet potato processing plant near Delhi.
The nutria is possibly the most well-known of the non-native species introduced into the environment of south Louisiana.
These articles were published in the fall 2010 issue of Louisiana Agriculture Magazine.
Because of the persistent infestation of the Formosan subterranean termite that has threatened to destroy historical buildings in the French Quarter of New Orleans, a federally funded program called Operation Full Stop was initiated in 1998 to apply areawide treatments to suppress the termite and limit further damage.
The red imported fire ant invaded the United States from South America more than 75 years ago. It was first discovered in Louisiana in the early 1950s.
An LSU AgCenter 4-H program has been chosen for a national award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For the past few months, the institutions of higher education in Louisiana, including the LSU AgCenter, have been under the threat of deep budget cuts as high as 32 percent. Such severe cuts would be catastrophic.
Solving the whodunit mystery of insect damage in a rice crop will be easier with a new online program developed by the LSU AgCenter.
There is an invasive species in town that might not be welcome, but at least this one we would like to invite to dinner. Commercial fishers across Louisiana have been reporting increasing populations of both bighead carp and silver carp, known collectively as Asian carp, beginning in the early 1980s.
I remember watching a science fiction television program as a child where the residents of a house were being attacked by giant termites the size of small cars from an alien world.
Asian carp have become a huge environmental problem in waterways throughout the Mississippi and Missouri river basins.These fish, which are comprised of the “silver” and “bighead” species, were originally introduced into private U.S. ponds in the 1970s.
Since the arrival of Europeans in North America, thousands of plants have been introduced intentionally for agricultural, fiber or ornamental purposes.
An unintended consequence of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on April 20, 2010, has been the expansion of invasive freshwater plants into the intertidal zone along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.
Experts estimate the damage from Formosan subterranean termite infestations in the United States exceeds $1 billion per year. In Louisiana alone, the most affected state in the continental United States, they estimate damage at almost $500 million a year.
From an entomology integrated pest management perspective, invasive species have several characteristics that make them difficult to control. As the insect is brought in or migrates into new areas, only rarely does the new pest bring along its natural enemies, which can include parasites, predators and diseases.
The LSU AgCenter has released three new varieties of rice.
Red imported fire ants were introduced into the United States more than 75 years ago. Since then, fire ants have invaded more than 320 million acres in 12 southeastern states, and they continue to spread despite eradication and quarantine efforts.
Plants and animals introduced into Louisiana cause a wide range of ecological problems. Notable examples include water hyacinth, Chinese tallow tree, nutria, English sparrows and European starlings.
Louisiana Agriculture Magazine
The LSU AgCenter has received grants totaling nearly $1.26 million during the past few months.
Over the past 120 years, many individuals have released aquatic plants into state and private waters in Louisiana with the best of intentions, only to find out that the seemingly innocuous and often very attractive plants have completely upset the ecology of the receiving water bodies.
Scott Angelle, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources(DNR) and former Louisiana lieutenant governor, has received the national Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP) Friend of Extension Award for his support and promotion of the LSU AgCenter’s 4-H program.
The Louisiana citrus industry includes 250 growers who produce on average $9 million worth of fruit on 800 acres per year. The majority of the commercial citrus acreage, 550 acres, is in Plaquemines Parish, the narrow strip of land just south of New Orleans next to the Mississippi River.
In the eyes of many conservationists, feral swine are among the most damaging invasive species around the world. Farmers, ranchers, foresters and landowners consider the feral swine to be a nuisance, at best, and, more commonly, a grave threat.
A device that can “harvest” an oil spill in open seas or in a marsh – much like a combine harvests wheat and eliminates the chaff – was built as a working concept model by LSU AgCenter engineer Chandra Theegala.
Animal waste is not necessarily waste at all and can be a valuable resource in agriculture.
Edgar and Christine Raymond own Riverosa Ranch, a registered Angus and Brahman X Angus F1 cattle operation in West Carroll Parish near Oak Grove, La.
Ken McMillin, a professor in the Department of Food Science, was elected as an Institute of Food Technology Fellow in 2010 for his outstanding achievements in meat and food processing, packaging and safety, as well as international trainingin these areas.
Louisiana Agriculture Magazine
Animal waste management has always been a concern for agricultural producers. In Louisiana, a group of environmentally concerned farmers has taken waste management matters into their own hands.
Highlights of the LSU AgCenter.
Gary Lirette and his son Stephen are poultry producers in the heart of Natchitoches Parish near Marthaville, La. Gary, who owns Little Flower Farm Enterprises, is one of three poultry producers certified as Master Farmers in the Louisiana Master Farmer Program.
David Weindorf, an assistant professor in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach and do research at University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
These news articles appears in the spring 2010 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.
Louisiana’s abundance of public water bodies and plentiful rainfall makes the state’s waters particularly susceptible to runoff from manure-enriched soils and overflow from concentrated animal-rearing facilities.
Poultry production is the largest animal agricultural industry in Louisiana with a gross farm value in 2009 of $450.8 million and an industry value-added total of $432.8 million, ranking it second to forestry in total income production from statewide agricultural commodities.
Lee Southern, Doyle Chambers Professor in the School of Animal Sciences, has been named chairman of the National Research Council’s committee to update the publication, Nutrient Requirements of Swine.
Controlling phosphorus loss from pastures fertilized with poultry litter is a nutrient management problem poultry farmers face.
The U.S. Clean Water Act of 1972 requires states to have water quality guidelines that protect the condition of water bodies within that state.
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