Agriculture

Wheat crop survives below-freezing temperatures

Wheat producers may fare better than expected from the arctic blast that plunged temperatures into the mid- to upper 20s in early March and threatened the crop across Louisiana. LSU AgCenter wheat specialist Boyd Padgett said the wheat crop may not have been hit as hard as anticipated in most areas.

New rice varieties show promise

With planting only weeks away, LSU AgCenter rice experts held a meeting on Feb. in Manssura 21 to bring farmers up to date on what they should consider in the upcoming crop.

J.S. Aucoin garden teaches growing, eating veggies

AMELIA — Kmberly Perez ate her share of cauliflower, and then she asked for more. “I normally don’t eat vegetables,” said the fourth-grader, a member of the garden club at J.S. Aucoin Elementary School in Amelia.

Sugarcane acreage likely to increase in 2019

Sugarcane acreage in Louisiana is likely to increase this year after the recent successful harvest, LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois predicted at a recent meeting for sugarcane growers in Iberia and St. Mary parishes.

USA Rice reports to industry in Jennings; sees an old friend

More than 230 rice industry members gathered here for the annual meetings of the Louisiana Rice Council (LARC) and the Louisiana Rice Growers Association (LARGA), and to hear reports and updates from Baton Rouge and Washington, DC.

Louisiana Master Farmer Program recently graduates 13, honors outstanding participant

Thirteen farmers who completed an LSU AgCenter environmental stewardship training program were recognized at a ceremony Jan. 10.

Long, difficult sugar cane season finally grinds to halt

ST. MARTINVILLE — The 2018 Louisiana sugar cane harvest resulted in record yield in terms of tonnage but a reduced sugar recovery from last year.

Vermilion Parish 4-H Junior Livestock Show & Sale totals more than $173,000

The 45th Annual Vermilion Parish 4-H Livestock Show and Sale was a great success. It involved 157 young people who exhibited over 240 head of livestock (beef, sheep, goats, dairy, and swine) and 110 poultry entries.

La. rice industry gives $1million to fund LSU AgCenter research chair

The Louisiana Rice Research Board has given $1 million to fund an academic chair dedicated for rice research in the LSU AgCenter. The presentation was made at the annual joint meeting of the Louisiana Rice Council and the Louisiana Rice Growers Association in Jennings.

LSU AgCenter holds rice clinics

In a series of meetings in southwest Louisiana, LSU AgCenter experts offered farmers advice for growing their 2019 crop. Farmers met in Welsh, Abbeville, Ville Platte and Crowley and attended sessions held Jan. 3-10, only a few weeks from the start of planting season.