Louisiana Agriculture Winter 2010, Vol. 53, No. 1, 32 pages
Louisiana Agriculture Winter 2010, Vol. 53, No. 1, 32 pages
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.