Agriculture

Dead roseau cane stems. (Photo by Rodrigo Diaz/LSU AgCenter)

Dead roseau cane stems. (Photo by Rodrigo Diaz/LSU AgCenter)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Team effort yields new clues about roseau cane decline

Olivia McClure / omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
For six and a half years, LSU AgCenter scientists and their counterparts at other agencies have been searching for clues as to why large swaths of roseau cane are dying along Louisiana’s coast — and how to restore these areas to prevent further land loss.
Cover crops are used to renew soil health by adding organic matter back to the soil to improve the overall soil structure. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Cover crops are used to renew soil health by adding organic matter back to the soil to improve the overall soil structure. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Are cover crops and crop rotation beneficial for home gardeners?

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, February 24, 2023
This week, the Southern Cover Crops Council held its annual conference in Baton Rouge, and I was fortunate to sit in on panel discussions with farmers and specialty crops (vegetables, fruits, nuts and nursery crops) producers. Cover cropping was once a common practice in agricultural history.
Gerard Frey

Gerard Frey

Exclusive Subscriber Content

3 to be inducted into Louisiana Ag Hall of Distinction

Craig Gautreaux / cgautreaux@agcenter.lsu.edu
Friday, February 24, 2023
Three individuals who have spent their careers dedicated to improving agriculture in Louisiana will be the newest inductees into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction. The induction will take place at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge March 2.
Farmers markets help support communities and Black farmers.

Farmers markets help support communities and Black farmers.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Celebrating Black History Month in the garden

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, February 17, 2023
For nearly 50 years, Black History Month has been celebrated in the U.S. The story took root when Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian, and minister Jesse Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1926.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Louisiana is the top sugarcane state for 2022

Harlan Kirgan
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
American Sugar Cane League director Jim Simon reported that the Louisiana sugarcane industry produced more than two million tons of raw sugar in 2022 for the first time ever and is now the number one cane sugar producing state in the United States.
Brushes, scouring pads, sandpaper and lubricating oils are best for hand pruner maintenance. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Brushes, scouring pads, sandpaper and lubricating oils are best for hand pruner maintenance. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Clean up those dull, rusty garden tools before pruning

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, February 10, 2023
Benjamin Franklin said, “The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.” I would take that one step further and say that taking care of one’s tools is insurance on your investment. Everything requires a little maintenance, and garden tools are no exception.
Garlic is perhaps one of the most frequently used herbs in cooking. It grows well in Louisiana. (Photo by Kiki Fontenot/LSU AgCenter)

Garlic is perhaps one of the most frequently used herbs in cooking. It grows well in Louisiana. (Photo by Kiki Fontenot/LSU AgCenter)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

It’s always a good thyme for herbs

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, January 27, 2023
By Heather Kirk-Ballard LSU AgCenter horticulturist Nothing completes a great recipe better than fresh herbs straight from the garden. Have you ever pulled out a recipe that calls for a specific fresh herb, gone to the grocery and couldn’t find it?
Trent Broussard, of Acadia Parish, was designated a Louisiana Master Farmer at a Jan. 12 ceremony. From left, are Michael Salassi, director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station; Matt Lee, interim LSU vice president for agriculture; Broussard; Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry; and Chad Kacir, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Trent Broussard, of Acadia Parish, was designated a Louisiana Master Farmer at a Jan. 12 ceremony. From left, are Michael Salassi, director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station; Matt Lee, interim LSU vice president for agriculture; Broussard; Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry; and Chad Kacir, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Louisiana Master Farmer Program recognizes graduates, awards winner

Olivia McClure / omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu
Friday, January 20, 2023
The Louisiana Master Farmer Program recognized three new graduates, two people who have completed recertification and the winner of the Outstanding Master Farmer Award at a ceremony Jan. 12.
By Heather Kirk-Ballard LSU AgCenter horticulturist Your lawn or turfgrass may be the last thing on your mind right now — but it’s no time to sit back on your laurels. Lawns are in their winter dormancy, and we have all enjoyed the reprieve from lawn mowing. But it won’t be long before our lawns literally “spring” back to life. If you want to give your turfgrass a leg up this spring, it’s time to get to work now. Despite our lawns’ winter slumber, weeds are still at work. If you look out into the law

By Heather Kirk-Ballard LSU AgCenter horticulturist Your lawn or turfgrass may be the last thing on your mind right now — but it’s no time to sit back on your laurels. Lawns are in their winter dormancy, and we have all enjoyed the reprieve from lawn mowing. But it won’t be long before our lawns literally “spring” back to life. If you want to give your turfgrass a leg up this spring, it’s time to get to work now. Despite our lawns’ winter slumber, weeds are still at work. If you look out into the law

Exclusive Subscriber Content

For a beautiful lawn in the spring, get to work now

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, January 20, 2023
Your lawn or turfgrass may be the last thing on your mind right now — but it’s no time to sit back on your laurels. Lawns are in their winter dormancy, and we have all enjoyed the reprieve from lawn mowing. But it won’t be long before our lawns literally “spring” back to life.
Learn floral design this year. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Learn floral design this year. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

It’s a new year in the old garden

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, January 13, 2023
Happy New Year! It may be your same old garden, but it’s a whole new year, and this a great time to start the planning process of what needs to be done in the landscape. Many people like to tackle new things in the New Year, and the garden is an excellent place to start.