Agriculture

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

From The LSU AgCenter
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

From The LSU AgCenter
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.
Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair Nicholas Gerace, Outstanding Young Farm Woman Courtney Gerace and Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot. (Submitted photo)

Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair Nicholas Gerace, Outstanding Young Farm Woman Courtney Gerace and Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot. (Submitted photo)

St. Landry Parish woman awarded Farm Bureau honor

Harlan Kirgan
Thursday, July 3, 2025
By Kristen Oaks-White Louisiana Farm Bureau NEW ORLEANS — A St. Landry Parish sugarcane and cattle producer is this year’s Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Outstanding Young Farm Woman.
Interim LSU President Matt Lee, left, shares a light moment with Richard Fontenot, president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, at the AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station’s 116th annual field day June 24. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Interim LSU President Matt Lee, left, shares a light moment with Richard Fontenot, president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, at the AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station’s 116th annual field day June 24. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Field day highlights advancements at AgCenter Rice Research Station

Olivia McClure / omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu
Friday, June 27, 2025
With harvest season rapidly approaching, rice farmers took a break from their own fields and converged on those at the LSU AgCenter H.
This rain garden features hibiscus. (Photo by Damon Abdi/LSU AgCenter)

This rain garden features hibiscus. (Photo by Damon Abdi/LSU AgCenter)

Turn your yard’s low spot into a high point with a rain garden

Friday, June 27, 2025
From the LSU AgCenter Summer in Louisiana tends to bring afternoon downpours. Where does all that rainwater go? Some of it is absorbed by the ground and plants. Some pools in low spots. And some turns into runoff, rushing into ditches, drains and, ultimately, natural waterways.
New entomology professor Morgan Christman will look to expand the research and knowledge that Louisianans have of local pollinator species. (Photo by Anthony Bailey/LSU AgCenter)

New entomology professor Morgan Christman will look to expand the research and knowledge that Louisianans have of local pollinator species. (Photo by Anthony Bailey/LSU AgCenter)

Entomologist looks to develop research, education on Louisiana pollinators

Anthony Bailey/ anthonybailey@agcenter.lsu.edu
Friday, June 13, 2025
When Morgan Christman was a doctoral student at Utah State University, she studied data from moth traps over a five-year period in Utah. What shocked her most about her findings wasn’t related to moths.
Vermillionaire cuphea’s tubular flowers are the perfect shape and size for hummingbirds’ long beaks and tongues, allowing them to access the plant’s abundant nectar.

Vermillionaire cuphea’s tubular flowers are the perfect shape and size for hummingbirds’ long beaks and tongues, allowing them to access the plant’s abundant nectar.

Hummingbirds love heat-tolerant Vermillionaire cuphea

From The LSU AgCenter
Friday, June 13, 2025
If you’re searching for a plant that will attract hummingbirds to your garden and handle the Louisiana summer like a champ, look no further than Vermillionaire cuphea — one of the LSU AgCenter’s 2025 Louisiana Super Plant selections.

Legislators OK LSU buying equine center in Opelousas

Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Friday, June 13, 2025
Louisiana legislators voted to give $3.5 million in state funds to LSU to purchase a horse facility which the university did not request. The money will go toward the purchase of the 200-acre Copper Crowne Equestrian Center in Opelousas.
Southern highbush blueberries ripen earlier than rabbiteye blueberries. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Southern highbush blueberries ripen earlier than rabbiteye blueberries. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

This is blueberry season in Louisiana

From The LSU AgCenter
Friday, June 6, 2025
School is out, and summer is near. Here’s something else to celebrate: Blueberries — those refreshing, deeply hued orbs of sweetness — are now ripening on bushes across Louisiana. Blueberries are among the easiest fruit crops to grow.