Agriculture

Turfgrass and tropical plants thrive in the summertime. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Turfgrass and tropical plants thrive in the summertime. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Summer steps to a stunning fall garden

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, July 26, 2024
Summer is the best time to just sit back and enjoy your garden. While you’re at it, you can start thinking about fall gardening and planning bigger landscaping projects.

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Biodiversity made simple

From the Eunice Bulb & Blossom Garden Club
Friday, July 26, 2024
Biodiversity is simply creating healthy ecosystems that provide natural filtering and cleaning of water and air and maintaining healthy soil. It is important that these natural processes run smoothly because they support a variety of lifecycles and provide us with food and water.
Irrigation can be controlled by smart technologies, which include weather-based irrigation controller (WBIC) and soil moisture sensor (SMS) systems. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Irrigation can be controlled by smart technologies, which include weather-based irrigation controller (WBIC) and soil moisture sensor (SMS) systems. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

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Innovations in irrigation: The smart approach to water conservation

Stacia Conger / LSU AgCenter irrigation specialist
Friday, July 19, 2024
Every July, Smart Irrigation Month celebrates the benefits of efficient irrigation products, highlighting their positive economic and environmental impacts. One major component of gardening is providing sufficient water for plants.
The fruit of a fig is composed of both flowers and seeds. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

The fruit of a fig is composed of both flowers and seeds. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

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Louisiana fig trees: History, care, best varieties

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, July 12, 2024
July in Louisiana marks many celebrations, one of which is fig harvest season. Figs (Ficus carica), native to the Middle East and western Asia, have become naturalized in North America and are widely planted in Louisiana home gardens due to their ease of cultivation and nutritional value.
Attendees of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station’s 115th annual field day view a demonstration of a spray drone.

Attendees of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station’s 115th annual field day view a demonstration of a spray drone.

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Rice farmers gather for annual field day at AgCenter station

Olivia McClure / omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
For the 115th year, farmers gathered June 25 for the LSU AgCenter’s annual rice field day, where they heard updates on researchers’ efforts to breed higher-yielding varieties, develop pest management strategies and encourage beneficial agronomic practices.
From left, are Raquella and Clint Manuel, YF&R Excellence in Agriculture winners, and Stephen Austin, CEO, Louisiana Land Bank. (Submitted photo)

From left, are Raquella and Clint Manuel, YF&R Excellence in Agriculture winners, and Stephen Austin, CEO, Louisiana Land Bank. (Submitted photo)

Evangeline Parish couple win Excellence in Agriculture Award

Veronica Mosgrove / Louisiana Farm Bureau
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
A couple from Evangeline Parish is this year’s recipient of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture award. Clint and Raquella Manuel took the top prize at the 102nd annual convention held in New Orleans.
Richard Fontenot

Richard Fontenot

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Ville Platte rice, soybean and crawfish farmer Richard Fontenot elected president of Louisiana Farm Bureau

Avery Davidson / Louisiana Farm Bureau
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Richard Fontenot, a fourth-generation rice, soybean and crawfish farmer from Ville Platte, will serve as the 13th president of Louisiana Farm Bureau. Voting delegates from across the state elected Fontenot at the 102nd Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal St.
The LSU AgCenter’s new Avoyelles sweet potato variety features a lighter-colored skin and a creamy texture. It’s an early-maturing variety that offers root-knot nematode resistance. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

The LSU AgCenter’s new Avoyelles sweet potato variety features a lighter-colored skin and a creamy texture. It’s an early-maturing variety that offers root-knot nematode resistance. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

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AgCenter pays tribute to Avoyelles Parish sweet potato industry

Olivia McClure / omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu
Friday, June 28, 2024
It can be harvested up to 30 days sooner than other sweet potatoes. It is a high yielder and tastes great, though its skin is a shade lighter than the sweet potatoes many Louisianans are accustomed to.
Drooping leaves on this azalea show symptoms of root rot. (Photo by Page Langlois/LSU AgCenter)

Drooping leaves on this azalea show symptoms of root rot. (Photo by Page Langlois/LSU AgCenter)

What’s killing your plants may surprise you

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, June 28, 2024
One of the most common causes of plant death is water — more specifically, too much or too little water. You might be surprised to learn it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. Watering correctly is a fundamental aspect of caring for both indoor and outdoor plants and trees.

Eliminate Red Fire Ants without using chemicals

From the Eunice Bulb & Blossom Garden Club
Friday, June 14, 2024
There are about 200 different species of fire ants, one is considered invasive and aggressive. Red Fire Ants were accidentally brought to the USA by a ship from South America in the 1920s. Today they often are transported in baled hay or during floods as whole colonies can float during flooding.