State

Brightly colored flowers are a gorgeous sight in the landscape. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Brightly colored flowers are a gorgeous sight in the landscape. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Gardening for the senses

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 10, 2023
As we prepare for the spring and updates to the garden, there are many great plant options to choose from. Why not enhance your garden by planting for all five of the senses?
Suncredible Saturn. (LSU AgCenter photo)

Suncredible Saturn. (LSU AgCenter photo)

LSU AgCenter 2023 Super Plants have been released

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 10, 2023
The LSU AgCenter has announced the release of five Louisiana Super Plants for the 2023 growing season. LSU AgCenter commercial horticulture specialist Jeb Fields said the Louisiana Super Plants program is not just about pretty flowers.
Hemp gummies purchased at a smoke shop in East Baton Rouge Parish on March 5, are currently in a legal gray area because they contain a total of 30 milligrams of THC per package. (Photo by Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

Hemp gummies purchased at a smoke shop in East Baton Rouge Parish on March 5, are currently in a legal gray area because they contain a total of 30 milligrams of THC per package. (Photo by Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

House speaker blames health department for illegal hemp products

(not verified)
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
One of Louisiana’s top lawmakers is sparring with state health officials, blaming them for confusion that has led to the legalization of hemp products that can get people high.

Governor’s 6-day trip cost state $69K plus

(not verified)
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration spent $12,305 of state money on premium seating at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Saints-Vikings football game in London last year. Nineteen people attended the game using public money.
Peggy Martin roses at Peggy Martin’s house. Photo provided by Pierre Bouchee and Jan Pesses, of the St. Tammany Parish Master Gardeners Association

Peggy Martin roses at Peggy Martin’s house. Photo provided by Pierre Bouchee and Jan Pesses, of the St. Tammany Parish Master Gardeners Association

Peggy Martin rose named spring 2023 Louisiana Super Plant

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 3, 2023
The LSU AgCenter is proud to announce its first Louisiana Super Plant selection for 2023, and it is none other than the Peggy Martin rose. Also known as the Katrina rose, most Louisiana residents know this rambling rose.
Photo 1: A new Louisiana Civil Rights Trail marker is unveiled on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus recognizing the Pillars of Progress. Pictured left to right are Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, State Senator Gerald Boudreaux, Joyce Constantine Henson (sister of Clara Dell Constantine), Lafayette Travel President & CEO Ben Berthelot, and University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie. (Photo credit: Office of Lieutenant Governor

Photo 1: A new Louisiana Civil Rights Trail marker is unveiled on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus recognizing the Pillars of Progress. Pictured left to right are Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, State Senator Gerald Boudreaux, Joyce Constantine Henson (sister of Clara Dell Constantine), Lafayette Travel President & CEO Ben Berthelot, and University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie. (Photo credit: Office of Lieutenant Governor

Civil Rights Trail marker notes SLI integration

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 3, 2023
LAFAYETTE — Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, the Louisiana Office of Tourism and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette unveiled the ninth marker along the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail at the Pillars of Progress on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Dead roseau cane stems. (Photo by Rodrigo Diaz/LSU AgCenter)

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

Team effort yields new clues about roseau cane decline

Harlan Kirgan
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.

Program provides free books young readers

Harlan Kirgan
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Louisiana, in collaboration with Scholastic, announced Reading Enrichment and Academic Deliverables (READ), a new state-funded book and literacy program designed to help support Louisiana pre-K4 through 5th grade students who are not yet reading on grade level.
Alena Allen

Alena Allen

LSU Law Center dean named

Harlan Kirgan
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
LSU has named Alena Allen dean of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Allen, a Louisiana native, is currently deputy director for the Association of American Law Schools and professor of law at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
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)

Are cover crops and crop rotation beneficial for home gardeners?

Harlan Kirgan
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.