First-place winners of Premier Exhibitor Awards at the 84th annual LSU AgCenter Livestock Show were presented belt buckles at a ceremony on Feb. 16. From left, Eric Lane, of Gerry Lane Enterprises, which sponsors the awards; beef exhibitor Mary Claire Istre, of Calcasieu Parish; sheep exhibitor Ethan Coker, of Claiborne Parish; swine exhibitor Josie Purvis, of Livingston Parish; dairy exhibitor Owen Brouillette, of West Feliciana Parish; goat exhibitor Sarah Tarver, of Pointe Coupee Parish; poultry exhibitor Claire O’Neill, of Tangipahoa Parish; and LSU Vice President for Agriculture Bill Richardson. Photo by Olivia McClure

2018 sugarcane harvest grinds to a successful halt

The 2018 Louisiana sugarcane harvest resulted in record yield in terms of tonnage but a reduced sugar recovery from last year. “When it’s all said and done, we should make the same amount of sugar, which was a record last year,” said LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois.

The grinding season usually ends in early January, but mills went as much as two weeks later. The cane yield was around 38.8 tons per acre, compared to 36.6 tons last year. Sugar recovery this season will be approximately 217 pounds per ton of cane, he said. Last year’s recovery was 242 pounds per ton.

Mud from a wet fall and winter complicated the harvest, and it resulted in a long processing season. More mud and leafy material had to be removed in the sugar-making process, which slowed down grinding. “Mud means more wear and tear on equipment,” Gravois said.

A somewhat dry spell in January allowed some farmers to get into fields that had been too muddy for harvest earlier, he said. Some farmers in the southern part of the sugarcane-growing area were unable to plant all of their crop at the usual time in late summer, and some farmers were planting in October and November, he said. The sugarcane crop in central Louisiana had some issues with long dry spells last summer, and that affected yields there.

With the end of the season, mills will have to start working on maintenance to get ready for the next harvest, and farmers will have to repair their rutted fields. The 2018 crop at 459,000 acres was an increase of about 19,000 acres, and next year’s crop is expected to be even larger with expansions in the northern and western parishes of the sugarcane belt.

Roseau can scale research get $1 million boost

Congress passed a federal appropriations bill that includes an additional $1 million in funding for research on the roseau cane scale, which may threaten Louisiana’s coastline and the Mississippi River shipping channel. With the additional funding, AgCenter researchers will look at varieties of roseau cane resistant to the scale, land loss impact, environmental conditions and erosion from storm events.

The Mississippi River Delta is a complex hydrological region with large fluctuations in water level, sediment deposition, wave action and other factors. Researchers do not know how the cane varieties will respond to different salinity levels, water depths, pathogen loads and other changes, making this research essential to final recommendations.

LSU AgCenter entomologist Rodrigo Diaz said by understanding the factors and mechanisms of stress on roseau cane, researchers hope to develop restoration plans tailored to specific regions in the delta.

Diaz and the AgCenter team of researchers have collected data that shows a variation in the health of roseau cane stands throughout the delta. The researchers believe resistance to the cane scale in some varieties might be partly responsible for these variances.

Funding for research on varieties that are believed to be resistant are necessary before a final recommendation can be made on the widespread planting of these varieties in a potential restoration project.

Chris Clark, Daniel Stephenson and Dennis Burns have been recognized as three of the LSU AgCenter’s top scientists. Clark, a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology and expert on sweet potato diseases, received the National Research Impact Award from the National Sweet Potato Collaborators Group. Stephenson, a weed scientist based at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center in Alexandria, Louisiana, was named Soybean and Corn Researcher of the Year at the National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference. Burns, an extension agent who specializes in agricultural technology and serves in Catahoula, Concordia and Tensas parishes, was honored by the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association as County Agent of the Year.

AgCenter conducts food safety workshops

LSU AgCenter food safety specialist Achyut Adhikari, center, shows fruit and vegetable growers how to use a sanitation station in the field during the Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association field day on Jan. 29 at the Botanic Gardens in Baton Rouge. Photo by Johnny Morgan

LSU AgCenter extension agent Kylie Miller shows fourth-graders how cotton and cotton by-products are found in many food products used for livestock and human consumption at the cotton exhibit during Ag Alley on Jan. 16-17 in West Monroe, Louisiana. Photo by Karol Osborne

A host of agricultural exhibits featuring farm animals, garden plants and Louisiana field crops offered the 8,000 visitors to the annual Ag Expo in West Monroe, Louisiana, an array of hands-on activities at the LSU AgCenter Ag Alley exhibits and AgCenter Square. Both events were held Jan. 16-19.

“Agriculture is the largest industry in Louisiana, so we emphasize the importance of agriculture to everyone, focusing on youth education for Ag Alley school days and information for adults and families at AgCenter Square during Ag Expo,” said Richard Letlow, extension agent in Morehouse Parish.

AgCenter experts answered questions about cotton and corn, bees and horticulture, and nutrition and fitness.

“Interest in our zoysia grass turfgrass samples at the booth opened opportunities to connect visitors with our northeast Louisiana sod farmers that grow several zoysia grass varieties,” said Ron Strahan, AgCenter turfgrass specialist.

Extension agriculture specialists provided recommendations and information on many topics, such as insects in the garden and recreational ponds and their maintenance. AgCenter nutrition experts shared the latest publications on diet and health and distributed meat thermometers, pedometers and other health-related items that encourage healthy decision making.