Agriculture

Damon Abdi, LSU AgCenter assistant professor of landscape horticulture, recommends using the three-cut method to remove tree branches. Photo by Randy LaBauve/LSU AgCenter

Damon Abdi, LSU AgCenter assistant professor of landscape horticulture, recommends using the three-cut method to remove tree branches. Photo by Randy LaBauve/LSU AgCenter

Need to remove a tree branch? Follow these steps

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, August 8, 2025
If you find yourself needing to remove a tree branch, there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way can unnecessarily harm your tree — and even you! The right way gets rid of the problematic branch while keeping both you and the tree safe. So, where to begin?
El Niño desert orchid is an ornamental shrub with pink-to-violet blooms in late spring and summer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

El Niño desert orchid is an ornamental shrub with pink-to-violet blooms in late spring and summer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

El Niño desert orchid: A unique hybrid that’s as tough as it is attractive

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, August 1, 2025
New woody ornamentals don’t come along as often as annual bedding plants. So when El Niño desert orchid hit the market, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg was excited to see the flowering shrub’s potential for Louisiana gardens. Something else about this new plant intrigued Stagg.
M.P. Hayes, an LSU AgCenter water quality expert, demonstrates a small, remote-controlled boat that can gather data to help monitor pond conditions. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

M.P. Hayes, an LSU AgCenter water quality expert, demonstrates a small, remote-controlled boat that can gather data to help monitor pond conditions. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Cloudy skies and cool research: AgCenter field day covers horticulture innovations

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 25, 2025
From turfgrass to tea production and rain gardens to robotics, there was something for just about everyone at the LSU AgCenter’s annual horticulture field day July 18.

How friendly is your garden soil?

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 25, 2025
From Bulb and Blossom Garden Club Friendly soil structure is one of the most overlooked features of garden soil. Great garden soil is only about 50% dirt; the other parts are air and water. Friendly soil provides access to air, nutrients, and growth for tender roots.
Sparse canopies on trees that normally have dense canopies often suffer from some type of health issue. These trees may pose additional risks during a storm. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Sparse canopies on trees that normally have dense canopies often suffer from some type of health issue. These trees may pose additional risks during a storm. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Give your trees a checkup before peak hurricane season

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 25, 2025
Hurricane season is ramping up. In Louisiana, we know the drill: It’s time to pick up some extra canned goods and batteries, make sure the generator cranks and think over evacuation plans. But your checklist may be missing one important item: the trees in your yard.
This savannah at the Marsh Bayou WMA shows some of the success of the initial restoration efforts from 15 years ago, with a mixture of longleaf pine in a diverse ecosystem that allows sunlight to get to the ground, encouraging growth of grasses and other plants animals like Eastern wild turkey, bobwhite quail and whitetail deer need to survive.

This savannah at the Marsh Bayou WMA shows some of the success of the initial restoration efforts from 15 years ago, with a mixture of longleaf pine in a diverse ecosystem that allows sunlight to get to the ground, encouraging growth of grasses and other plants animals like Eastern wild turkey, bobwhite quail and whitetail deer need to survive.

Cost-sharing assistance available to landowners for longleaf pine restoration and management

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 18, 2025
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, along with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, conducted a Longleaf Pine...
Lantana leaves have a velvety feel and a distinct scent. These traits help deter deer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Lantana leaves have a velvety feel and a distinct scent. These traits help deter deer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Deer eating your plants? Try these strategies

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 18, 2025
When you gaze upon your garden, you might see many things. Perhaps you delight in the bright colors of your flowers, the lush foliage of other plants. Maybe your eye is drawn to the delicate butterflies and buzzing bees that come to visit Deer, on the other hand, see a garden differently.
Features such as this outdoor fireplace at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station are called hardscapes. They can provide both aesthetic and practical benefits. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Features such as this outdoor fireplace at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station are called hardscapes. They can provide both aesthetic and practical benefits. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Hardscaping sets the stage for year-round outdoor living

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 11, 2025
You’ve heard of landscaping. How about hardscaping? Hardscapes are the manmade features that bring form and function to our landscapes, providing a contrast to living elements such as plants, trees and turf — otherwise known as softscapes.
Some figs, like LSU Purple, turn a dark color as they ripen.

Some figs, like LSU Purple, turn a dark color as they ripen.

Tips for a successful Louisiana fig harvest

Harlan Kirgan
Thursday, July 3, 2025
The figs are green, plump and plentiful. Yes, it’s almost fig harvest season in Louisiana, and soon it will be time to use the delicious, nutritious fruit in preserves, baked treats and other goodies.

Evangeline Parish farmer reelected Farm Bureau president

Harlan Kirgan
Thursday, July 3, 2025
By Avery Davidson Louisiana Farm Bureau NEW ORLEANS — Richard Fontenot, a fourth-generation rice, soybean and crawfish farmer from Ville Platte, will serve a second term as president of Louisiana Farm Bureau.