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(06/17/19) A row rice and soybean tour will be held July 9 at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph.
(Video) In this story, explore new and old cover crops techniques used to improve the environment and farming conditions.
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.
The publication should help producers make more informed decisions about which hybrid to select.
(Video 09/30/15) Louisiana cotton farmers have begun picking their crop. What they are finding is disappointing on two fronts, lower yields than last year and low prices. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has this report. (Runtime: 01:33)
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.
(Video 09/16/15) Farmers across Louisiana are busy harvesting soybeans, Louisiana’s largest crop in terms of acreage. Last year was a record yield for producers, but this year’s growing conditions were less kind. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has this report. (Runtime: 01:34)
(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 08/21/15) DELHI, La. – Despite a rainy spring that delayed sweet potato planting, the 2015 season is shaping up well, growers learned at a field day on Aug. 20 at Black Gold Farms in Delhi.
(Distributed 07/31/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – An LSU team took third place in the southern division of the National Weed Contest on July 21.
(Distributed 07/07/15) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Unrelenting rains that delayed planting of many Louisiana crops may have set the stage for a tougher-than-usual battle with weeds this year.
(Video 06/24/15) LSU AgCenter researchers are helping farmers in north Louisiana combat pest problems in a particularly rainy year. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard attended a field day where the scientists talked with farmers about their research, and she has this story. (Runtime: 01:39)
(Distributed 06/18/15) ST. JOSEPH, La. – Excessive rain during the 2015 growing season has presented challenges for Louisiana farmers, but LSU AgCenter experts told attendees at the Northeast Research Station Pest Management and Crop Production Field Day on June 17 that they need to consider other problems that could affect their crops.
(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.
(Video 05/13/15) This year’s cotton crop may be the lowest on record in terms of acreage. Low prices for cotton and better prices for other commodities are to blame. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux explains how low cotton acres affect rural economies. (Runtime: 01:26)
(Video 04/29/15) This year’s wet weather across Louisiana is slowing down the planting of Louisiana’s soybean crop, which could affect yields when harvesting begins in late summer. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has the story. (Runtime: 01:43)
(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.
(Video 04/01/15) For corn farmers across Louisiana, it is a case of déjà vu. Again this year, persistent wet conditions have caused corn planting to run behind schedule, but that may not necessarily be a bad omen for farmers. Craig Gautreaux has this report. (Runtime: 01:30)
(Distributed 03/27/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board has awarded the LSU AgCenter $1,873,000 for 2015 to continue conducting research and extension programs that benefit the industry.
(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 01/26/15) OPELOUSAS, La. – Louisiana led the nation for the average soybean yield last year, according to the LSU AgCenter soybean specialist.
(Video 01/21/15) The USDA estimates that U.S. farmers harvested approximately 4 billion bushels of soybeans, exceeding the previous record of nearly 3.4 billion bushels. Farmers in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi heard the latest developments concerning soybeans, and LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has the story.(Runtime: 02:02)
(Distributed 01/16/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Two LSU AgCenter researchers were honored Thursday (Jan. 15) at the National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference in Baton Rouge. The event drew 574 people from Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana.
(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.
(Video) Louisiana farmers have enjoyed high commodity prices coupled with high yields over the past few years, but 2014 was different. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard looks back over the year in agriculture.
2016 recommendations for rice varieties and management tips for them. Decisions about rice varieties are some of the most critical you will make, and those decisions have to be made early each year. The information in this publication will help you decide which rice varieties are best suited to your particular growing conditions. (PDF Format and printed)
For the Louisiana wheat and oat industry to remain viable, it is essential that producers and consultants be able to identify and manage existing and emerging weed, insect and disease issues. To meet this need, the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board provided support through checkoff funds to develop this pocket field guide.
2015 Recommendations. One of the last, but most important, steps in producing a cotton crop is harvest preparation. Successful preparation includes scheduling for defoliation and harvest operations, removing foliage and facilitating boll opening. Use these recommendations for a successful cotton harvest. (PDF Format Only)
(Video 09/03/14) Louisiana’s corn crop is coming in. Good weather during the growing season has translated into good yields. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has this report.
The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 renewed interest in use of agricultural crops as a feedstock for biofuel. Among them, sweet sorghum has received attention as a potential biofuel crop because the sap from the plant is relatively high in fermentable sugars. Sweet sorghum is related to grain sorghum but has been developed for greater production of sugar and biomass. (PDF format only)
(Video: 07/23/14) Louisiana's corn and cotton crops have benefited from good weather and few disease or insect problems during their growing season. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has an update. (Runtime: 1:28 seconds)
(Video: 07/23/14) A new grain sorghum variety coupled with a new herbicide will help farmers control grassy weeds in their fields, but an insect could damage this year's sorghum crop. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has this report. (Runtime: 1:26 seconds)
Rice is one of the world’s most important cereal crops. Rice and wheat together make up the majority of the world’s source of calories. They feed the world. Information on general agronomic guidelines, varieties, soils, plant nutrition, fertilization, rice drying, economics and weed, disease and pest management. (Individual chapter pdfs are located at the bottom of the page.)
(Distributed 04/14/14) ALEXANDRIA, La. – LSU AgCenter weed scientists confirmed that farmers will now have to contend with another herbicide-resistant weed, Italian ryegrass.
(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.
(Video News) While harvest has wrapped up on many crops, Louisiana farmers are busy planting wheat. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard looks at the planting season. (Runtime: 1:23)
(Video News 10/17/13) Yields are high for Louisiana’s cotton crop LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard reports that good weather and good land have farmers reaching for a record. (Runtime: 1:36)
(Audio 09/10/13) As farmers wrap up the corn harvest in Louisiana, they will look at ways to handle the residue from the plants that remain in the fields. LSU AgCenter agronomist Josh Lofton is evaluating five different systems that farmers can use. (Runtime: 1:25)
(Video News 07/22/13) A new insect that can damage soybeans has been found in Louisiana. The kudzu bug arrived on the East Coast about four years ago and has been migrating west. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has the story. (Runtime: 1:42)
(Video News 6/28/13) An LSU AgCenter researcher is helping farmers deal with nitrogen loss on their corn crop. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard spoke scientist working in northeast Louisiana. (Runtime: 1:22)
(Video News 06/21/13) Much of northeast Louisiana’s economy is fueled by agriculture, and soybeans are a major commodity in the region. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard reports that soybean research at the Northeast Research Station is benefiting growers. (Runtime: 1:44)
(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.
(Audio News 06/20/13) More acres were dedicated to soybeans in 2012 than any other row crop in Louisiana. LSU AgCenter researchers in northeast Louisiana are helping farmers improve the way they grow soybeans. Donnie Miller is evaluating the effects of residual herbicides on weeds that have become resistant to the glyphosate herbicide which was so effective on Roundup Ready crops. (Runtime: 1:40)
(Video News 05/07/13) Cotton is no longer king among crops in Louisiana. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard reports that acreage has fallen dramatically over the past ten years. (Runtime: 1:27)
(Video News 03/07/13) To control insects, farmers also need to control weeds. Spring plantings are starting, and it’s best to begin with a field that has few insects around it. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has the story.
(Video News 08/10/12) Rice farmers were able to get in their fields early this year to begin the harvest. Disease problems have caused a drop in yields in some areas, but in other fields the harvest looks good. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has this report. (Runtime: 1:32)
(Video News 08/10/12) Rice farmers were able to get in their fields early this year to begin the harvest. Disease problems have caused a drop in yields in some areas, but in other fields the harvest looks good. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has this report. (Runtime: 1:32)
(Video News 07/27/12) LSU AgCenter researchers are looking for ways to enhance crop production and increase profits for farmers. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux reports that there are some challenges facing growers but there are also opportunities. (Runtime 1:49)
(Video News 07/11/12) The Louisiana rice crop is maturing early this year thanks to a mild winter and spring. But these weather conditions also may have helped a rice disease thrive. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has this report. (Runtime: 1:40)
(Video News 06/29/12) The outlook is optimistic for Louisiana’s corn and cotton crops. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard says early planting has been beneficial to crop growth. (Runtime: 1:40)
(Radio News 04/02/12) Louisiana rice acreage will be down this year. Farmers are cutting back on the amount of rice they are planting because of discouraging prices. LSU AgCenter rice specialist Johnny Saichuk says other commodities are more appealing. (Runtime: 1:20)
(Video News 03/28/12) Louisiana farmers have gotten a good portion of the corn crop planted early. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard says warm weather created ideal conditions for planting. (Runtime: 1:34)
(Video News 03/12/12) Wet, warm conditions are affecting the state’s wheat crop. Planted back in the fall under drought conditions, the crop has seen its share of rain this winter. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard has the story. (Runtime: 1:35)
(Video 05/29/12) Louisiana farmers just finished a somewhat disappointing wheat harvest. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux reports that weather was to blame for the lower yields.(Runtime 1:25)
(Video 05/29/12) Louisiana farmers just finished a somewhat disappointing wheat harvest. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux reports that weather was to blame for the lower yields.(Runtime 1:25)
(Video 05/02/12) Louisiana’s cotton acres are going to be down this year because other crops such as soybeans look more attractive to farmers. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux gives an update on how this year’s cotton planting is progressing. (Runtime 1:49)
(Video 05/22/12) Soybeans will be Louisiana's largest crop in terms of acreage with more than a million acres expected to be planted this year. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux gives an update on the current condition of Louisiana's soybean crop. (Runtime 1:36)
(Video 05/22/12) Soybeans will be Louisiana's largest crop in terms of acreage with more than a million acres expected to be planted this year. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux gives an update on the current condition of Louisiana's soybean crop. (Runtime 1:36)
(Distributed 06/19/12) ST. JOSEPH, La. – More than 170 farmers and agriculture industry representatives heard about the latest research on corn, soybeans and cotton at the annual field day held June 14 at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station.
(Distributed 06/26/12) Theo Udeigwe, LSU AgCenter agronomist, is in his first year of studying the effects of different wheat residue and stubble management techniques on soil quality and soybean yield in a wheat-soybean double crop system.
(Distributed 06/26/12) Theo Udeigwe, LSU AgCenter agronomist, is in his first year of studying the effects of different wheat residue and stubble management techniques on soil quality and soybean yield in a wheat-soybean double crop system.
(Distributed 06/19/12) ST. JOSEPH, La. – More than 170 farmers and agriculture industry representatives heard about the latest research on corn, soybeans and cotton at the annual field day held June 14 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 07/20/12) 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 07/11/12) 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 11/14/12) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana farmers produced a record soybean crop this year, yielding 44 bushels on 1.11 million acres, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. The previous high was 43 bushels in 2007.
(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 07/19/13) ALEXANDRIA, La. – LSU AgCenter researchers are continuing in their quest to find solutions to the No. 1 fungal disease in Louisiana soybeans – Cercospora leaf blight.
(Distributed 07/26/13) ST. JOSEPH, La. – Because cars can now “talk” and phones can play movies, it’s only natural that farm equipment would communicate with satellites to make farmers money.
(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 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 06/25/13) ST. JOSEPH, La. – Conventional wisdom says the more ears of corn to the acre, the greater the yield will be. While this is true to a certain extent, too many corn plants to the acre can cause problems, says Rick Mascagni, an LSU AgCenter agronomist at the Northeast Research Station.
(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 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 05/27/14) 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 06/18/14) ST. JOSEPH, La. – As water resources face the risk of declining in both quality and quantity, many farmers want to learn how to be more efficient when they irrigate. LSU AgCenter and National Resource Conservation Service experts offered them some ideas on June 17 at the Northeast Research Station Field Day in St. Joseph.
(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.
