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(04/22/16) Wheat acreage in Louisiana is at an all-time low of 58,000 to 60,000 acres, LSU AgCenter experts said at a field day.
Louisiana’s recently planted corn crop appears to be the biggest agricultural casualty from recent flooding.
(02/04/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter has released a guide listing grain sorghum hybrids that offer resistance to the sugarcane aphid, a pest that has caused significant damage to Louisiana’s sorghum crop in recent years.
In the small towns of northeast Louisiana, it’s usually not hard to tell whether farmers are having a good year or a bad year. When the harvest is bountiful and commodity prices are good, nearly everyone – farmer or not – seems to have a little more money to spend.
(Distributed 08/26/15) CHASE, La. – The LSU AgCenter will host the second annual Northeast Region Youth Field Day at the Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase on Sept. 23.
(Distributed 08/04/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Sugarcane aphids in Louisiana transitioned from sugarcane to grain sorghum in 2013 – some of the first such colonization in America. Since then, this invasive insect species has rapidly spread to all grain sorghum-producing parishes, decreasing quality and yield and causing catastrophic crop losses in 2014.
(Distributed 06/12/15) WINNSBORO, La. – Keeping chemicals from drifting to non-target areas led the discussion at a drift mitigation and application technology education seminar in Winnsboro on June 9.
(Distributed 05/27/15) ST. JOSEPH, La. – The LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph will host a crop production and pest management field day on June 17.
(Distributed 05/22/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Excessive rain across Louisiana is compounding already existing problems with the 2015 wheat crop and leading to what LSU AgCenter experts call a disastrous season.
(Distributed 05/14/15) WINNSBORO, La. – The LSU AgCenter will host a workshop on June 9 for farmers and consultants to learn how to reduce off-target pesticide drift and to use new technologies at the LSU AgCenter Macon Ridge Research Station.
(Distributed 04/24/15) WINNSBORO, La. – Dozens of university wheat and oat varieties from university research and commercial companies were on display at the annual wheat and oat field day at the LSU AgCenter Macon Ridge Research Station Wednesday (April 22).
(Distributed 04/06/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana agriculture as a whole contributed $12.7 billion to the state’s economy in 2014, as reported in the 2014 Ag Summary from the LSU AgCenter, which was released today online. Net value for all sectors was up 7.6 percent, or $900 million, from 2013, said AgCenter economist John Westra.
(Distributed 03/06/15) WINNSBORO, La. – The recent surge of cold weather could be damaging to Louisiana’s wheat crop, depending on the severity and duration of the below-freezing temperatures, according to LSU AgCenter wheat specialist Josh Lofton.
(Distributed 02/13/15) MARKSVILLE, La. – More than 30 LSU AgCenter experts joined with industry representatives to provide information and advice to Louisiana agricultural consultants who met at their annual conference on Feb. 11-13.
(Distributed 02/05/15) DELHI, La. – Louisiana farmers should follow cost-effective production strategies for the 2015 growing season, LSU AgCenter experts said at the annual northeast Louisiana crops forum on Feb. 2.
(Distributed 01/30/15) WINNSBORO, La. – LSU AgCenter researchers continue to evaluate energycane varieties planted in north Louisiana as a possible new crop for producers to grow as a biofuel feedstock.
(Distributed 01/26/15) OPELOUSAS, La. – Louisiana led the nation for the average soybean yield last year, according to the LSU AgCenter soybean specialist.
(Distributed 01/16/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter will hold a crop production forum for northeast Louisiana farmers on Feb. 3 in Delhi.
(Distributed 04/28/14) WINNSBORO, La. – Recent high winds could cause lodging problems for the state’s 175,000 acres of wheat, but otherwise the crop is doing well after coming through a cold, wet early spring, according to LSU AgCenter wheat specialist Josh Lofton.
(Distributed 04/08/14) WINNSBORO, La. – Recent heavy rains – as much as 6 to 8 inches – in corn-producing areas of Louisiana have flooded fields that already have been planted.
(Distributed 06/21/13) ST. JOSEPH, La. – More than 150 farmers, agriculture consultants and industry representatives heard about the latest research on corn, soybeans, rice and cotton at the annual field day on June 19 at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station.
(Distributed 07/17/12) LSU AgCenter scientists are looking at new technology for determining nitrogen rates in corn involving an optical sensor reading approach based upon vegetative data.
(Distributed 07/17/12) LSU AgCenter scientists are looking at new technology for determining nitrogen rates in corn involving an optical sensor reading approach based upon vegetative data.
(Distributed 07/16/12) An uncommon pest showing up in Louisiana soybean fields is not yet much of a problem for farmers but is causing concern for LSU AgCenter entomologists. It’s the soybean podworm, the same pest that’s called the corn earworm in corn fields or bollworm in cotton fields.
(Distributed 07/16/12) An uncommon pest showing up in Louisiana soybean fields is not yet much of a problem for farmers but is causing concern for LSU AgCenter entomologists. It’s the soybean podworm, the same pest that’s called the corn earworm in corn fields or bollworm in cotton fields.
(Distributed 07/20/12) ALEXANDRIA, La. – A herbicide-resistant weed in soybeans and cotton has caused what an LSU AgCenter weed scientist calls an epidemic in Louisiana. “This is the year of the pigweed,” Daniel Stephenson told farmers gathered for the field day on July 19 at the LSU AgCenter Dean Lee Research and Extension Station.
(Distributed 07/11/12) For the past several years, stink bug numbers have been fairly low in Louisiana soybeans, but this year they are much higher. The main culprit, the redbanded stink bug, if left unchecked, can cause damage so extensive that farmers may lose an entire field of beans, said LSU AgCenter entomologist Jeff Davis.
(Distributed 07/24/12) “Louisiana’s Frontline: 125 Years of Agricultural Research,” a 60-minute documentary, will be broadcast on Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) and its statewide PBS affiliates Aug. 2 at 7 p.m.
(Distributed 07/12/12) While wheat diseases were minimal this past year, they can become problematic under certain conditions. Fortunately for farmers there are options available when diseases strike, according to Boyd Padgett, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist.
(Distributed 07/11/12) LAKE ARTHUR, La. – If hot, dry weather continues, rice farmers should expect an outbreak of bacterial panicle blight. Don Groth, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist, told farmers gathered at the Vermilion Rice and Soybean Field Tour on July 5 that fungicides are not effective against bacterial panicle blight because it is caused by bacteria.
(Distributed 05/28/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter personnel are looking for Asian soybean rust in kudzu and soybean sentinel plots across the state.
(Distributed 05/21/13) ST. JOSEPH, La. – Research at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station on corn, cotton and soybeans will be featured at the pest management and crop production field day on June 19.
(Distributed 03/12/13) LSU AgCenter will conduct a wheat and oat field day on April 17 at the Macon Ridge Research Station south of Winnsboro, La.
(Distributed 04/19/13) WINNSBORO, La. – The 2013 wheat harvest in Louisiana is only a few weeks from beginning, and experts aren’t sure how the crop will turn out.
(Distributed 04/18/13) BOSSIER CITY, La. – Growing grass efficiently was the focus of the LSU AgCenter Red River Research Station Beef and Forage Field Day held April 16.
(Distributed 07/03/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The National Sweetpotato Collaborators Conference, a project that includes LSU AgCenter faculty, has received the 2013 Excellence in Multistate Research Award from the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
(Distributed 07/25/13) WINNSBORO, La. – The LSU AgCenter Macon Ridge Research Station will host a pest management and crop production field day Sept. 5.
(Distributed 06/24/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana corn growers are waiting for confirmation that Goss’s wilt disease has been found in some corn fields in Madison Parish.
(Distributed 06/26/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter entomologists have confirmed the arrival of the kudzu bug in a soybean field in Madison Parish.
(Distributed 06/28/13) WINNSBORO, La. – Soybean acreage in Louisiana has been trending higher, fueled by higher demand and increasing prices paid to growers. For producers to make the most of the current situation, they must harvest their beans in a timely manner to avoid damage and penalties for poor quality, said LSU AgCenter agronomist Josh Lofton.
(Distributed 06/07/13) WINNSBORO, La. – The old cliché that says “timing is everything” is especially true when growing soybeans in northeast Louisiana, according to Josh Lofton, LSU AgCenter researcher at the Macon Ridge Research Station near Winnsboro.
Distributed 06/18/13) WINNSBORO, La. – Louisiana has the lowest cotton acreage in recorded history, with the state’s farmers planting an estimated 125,000 acres this year, according to LSU AgCenter cotton specialist and entomologist David Kerns.
(Distributed 06/12/13) WINNSBORO, La. – Portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is normally a process used by those in the metal industry, but a study funded by the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board is using the equipment to look at fertility issues in corn and soybeans.
(Distributed 06/13/13) WINNSBORO, La. – One of the latest research projects funded by the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board will look at the effect of nitrogen loss on corn growth.
(Distributed 09/10/13) MACON RIDGE, La. – LSU AgCenter scientists shared the latest research findings and progress with participants who braved sweltering heat at the Macon Ridge Research Station near Winnsboro on Sept. 5.
(Distributed 09/12/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – Now that the Louisiana corn harvest is nearly complete, growers have been given a few ways to decrease the chance of the Goss’s wilt bacteria overwintering in their fields.
(Distributed 08/07/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter researchers are conducting a number of important grain sorghum research projects to help maximize cost-effective returns for farmers.
(Distributed 08/09/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – As the “dog days” of summer drag slowly into mid-August and beyond, cotton growers need to monitor leaf spot disease in their crop, said LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Trey Price.
(Distributed 10/15/13) WINNSBORO, La. – As cotton harvest in Louisiana comes to an end, farmers are seeing record high yields, although the cotton acreage is at a record low, according to David Kerns, LSU AgCenter cotton specialist.
(Distributed 10/23/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter research being conducted shows that farmers who grow multiple crops may benefit from applying some nutrients during fall if soil tests are completed first.
(Distributed 11/07/13) WINNSBORO, La. – When Paul “Trey” Price began his career with the LSU AgCenter, he didn’t expect to be in the position he holds now.
(Distributed 11/13/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – Farmers have planted most of Louisiana’s wheat crop. With ideal weather recently, they’ve been able to plant quickly. “We’ve had good conditions,” said LSU AgCenter wheat specialist Josh Lofton. “The rain has played with us nicely. We’ve had some showers that helped with germination, but not enough to kick us out of the field for long periods of time.”
(Distributed 02/08/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter has scheduled 12 field days at off-campus research stations during 2013, according to John Russin, vice chancellor and director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.
(Distributed 05/05/14) CHASE, La. – Nearly 200 students from 12 parishes in northeast Louisiana watched drones fly, saw soybeans and sweet potatoes planted, and learned about soils, crops and careers in agriculture. It was all part of the LSU AgCenter’s first youth field day at the AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station on April 29.
(Distributed 05/27/14) ST. JOSEPH, La. – The LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station has scheduled a pest management and crop production field day for June 17 at the research station in St. Joseph.
(Distributed 03/07/14) WINNSBORO, La. – To help farmers sort through the hundreds of apps available to aid with agricultural production, an LSU AgCenter soil scientist has begun posting online reviews.
(Distributed 01/27/14) OPELOUSAS, La. – LSU AgCenter experts urged farmers who experienced harvest problems caused by the white sugarcane aphid in grain sorghum to report their difficulties to state agriculture officials to help obtain approval for a pesticide to control the insect.
(Distributed 01/14/14) ST. JOSEPH, La. – The LSU AgCenter will hold three precision agriculture workshops in early February.
(Distributed 12/18/14) WINNSBORO, La. – The LSU AgCenter will hold a workshop on cover crops and soil health on Jan. 21 at the Macon Ridge Research Station. Registration and refreshments will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Tom H. Scott Extension and Education Center, which is at the station. The workshop will start at 9 a.m.
(Distributed 08/25/14) WINNSBORO, La. – Louisiana cotton farmers need to be on the lookout for target spot, a fungal disease that can quickly defoliate plants. Trey Price, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist at the Macon Ridge Research Station, said target spot is present in all cotton-producing areas of the state, with the most severe cases in Franklin, Madison and Tensas parishes.
(Distributed 08/07/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Soybean growers in Louisiana are seeing soybean damage this year that LSU AgCenter scientists believe has been in cotton for many years.
(Distributed 08/15/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Fall armyworms and corn borers have long been a concern for Louisiana corn growers. While farmers in the U.S. have planted transgenic Bt corn varieties since the 1990s to biologically control pests, staying ahead of their ability to develop resistance is a constant battle.
(Distributed 02/12/14) DELHI, La. – Invasive species and residue management highlighted a recent (Feb. 6) LSU AgCenter agriculture producer meeting.
(Distributed 02/17/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter has scheduled 14 field days at off-campus research stations during 2014.
(Distributed 11/26/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter has released a wheat and oat field guide that can be used to identify weeds, insect pests and diseases that affect those crops.
(Distributed 01/06/14) BATON ROUGE, La. – Cold artic air has invaded the southern United States with temperatures projected to reach about 20 degrees in south Louisiana and into the mid-teens in north Louisiana. This is the coldest in a recent string of cold nights and follows a pattern of cool weather that has predominated since mid-December.
