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March 2009 Articles

Just Rambling September 2013
Vaccination Guidelines – Developing a Vaccination Plan 
Researchers make strides in controlling aflatoxin
Crazy ant population explodes in Baton Rouge
Bermudagrass Stem Maggot Farm
USDA Promotes Conservation Programs-Louisiana Farmers Participate in Conservatio
Cattle prices expected to hold, might improve
Less Obvious Market Impacts of the Zilmax® Situation
Nutrition Key for Conception and Weaning Percentages
USDA and Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission Request the Help of Arkansas
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation—Presidents Column Congressional Reces
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation—Presidents Column 2013 Crop on Par fo
LGLCI Hosting Healing the Land and Building Soil Health Workshop
Tips and Advice for Choosing a Bit When Breaking a Horse
Spiritual Corner
Just Rambling:
Field day features cattle procedures, winter forage
How Fast Can the Beef Cow Herd Be Rebuilt?
Effect of Corn- and Soybean Hull-Based Creep Feed and Backgrounding Diets on L
Slaughter Cow Considerations for Fall 2013
Specialist recommends new, affordable technology for cattle production
LSU and LSU AgCenter dairy programs to consolidate
AFBF Objects to Inflammatory Attacks in Privacy Suit
Louisiana part of multistate study to test arsenic in ri
Strain Responds to EPA Withdrawal of Data Collection Proposal
Strain Named Secretary-Treasurer of NASDA
AFBF Endorses House Waterways Bill
Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding
More Corn, Smaller Soybean Stocks Predicted
• Poultry farmers learn better practices at
It’s time to think about landscape planning
Changing eating habits can aid weight loss
My Granny’s Cinnamon Biscuits
Emergency Numbers
WHERE DO I STAND
Controlling External Parasites Source: University of Arkansas
AgCenter scientists give updates to farmers at field day
AFBF: Death Tax Repeal Act ‘Gets the Job Done’
Weather Challenges Reflected in June WASDE Report
Poultry owners should take steps to keep flocks secure
Arrests Made in Morehouse Parish Cattle Thefts June 20, 2013 
Strain: Hire Licensed Horticulture Professionals
ade trees reduce summer cooling bills
Easy Strawberry Cake
Things God Won’t Ask
Cool-Season Pasture and Forage Varieties Variety Selection
AgCenter computer center dedicated Writer:
Irrigate yards, landscapes, trees correctly during hot summer month
Louisiana Agriculture Facts:
Technology brings precision to the farm
Farm Bill Update
AFBF Files Suit to Protect Farmers’ Privacy
AFBF, 400 Others Call for House Immigration Reform
Farmers Wisdom:
The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture
La. sweet potato acreage continues to decline
The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture
For ranchers, soil’s organic matter, matters
The Good that Still Exist
Chicken Enchilada Dip

(60 articles found)

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Poultry farmers learn better practices at

Poultry farmers learn better practices at LSU AgCenter field day Writer: Bruce Schultz at (337) 788-8821 or bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu
HOMER, La. – Poultry producers from across the state were taught practices that will make their operations more environmentally friendly and efficient at a field day at the LSU AgCenter Hill Farm Research Station on Sept. 18.
Half the day was used to show producers research being conducted and to explain what they can do to improve their operations, while the final half of the day was devoted to classroom work aimed at becoming certified in the Louisiana Master Farmer Program.
Carrie Castille, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry associate commissioner, said officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continue to move ahead with inspections of poultry farms. The EPA has sent letters to producers asking about the specifics of their operations, including the number of birds, mortality management and litter management.
“We felt it was not necessary to send these letters,” Castille said. “Nutrient management is a state issue and should be addressed at the state and local level with the ultimate goal of achieving conservation.”
Theresia Lavergne, LSU AgCenter poultry specialist, talked about pasteurization of poultry litter in chicken houses in between flocks. She said windrowing the material into rows 2-3 feet high and 4-6 feet wide will produce enough heat, roughly 131 degrees, to kill 90-95 percent of the pathogens and bacteria in the litter in seven to 10 days.
The litter needs 30-35 percent moisture to obtain the necessary temperature level of 131 degrees, she said, and a thermometer should be used to make sure adequate heat is reached. She said the rows should be turned in three to five days after they are made.
Specialized equipment is sold by several companies to make the rows with a tractor, she said. But even with the equipment, the practice is not done quickly, Lavergne said. ”You need at least 10 to 14 days of out-time for the procedure to be used and to be effective.”
She said a project to study litter pasteurization is funded through a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Future plans call for comparison of the nutrient level in materials used in windrows and stored in a litter shed, which will be built at Hill Farm before year’s end.
The NRCS grant also will fund four more poultry field days during the next two years.
In addition, the NRCS grant is funding a study of poultry house ventilation fan dust on water quality.
Bill Owens, LSU AgCenter animal scientist, said the EPA declared that fan dust is a pollutant.
“I am not aware of any published data that substantiates fan dust as an issue or causing a problem,” Owens said.
He said the EPA has pursued enforcement action against some poultry producers on the East Coast. That resulted in a lawsuit in West Virginia that remains pending.
“We need data from our local area on the impact of fan dust before declaring it a problem,” Owens said.
He said a study, also funded by NRCS, will analyze runoff water from two poultry houses at the Hill Farm to determine if the dust contains nutrients that affect water quality.
Owens also said producers can use the NRCS Water Quality Index for Agricultural Runoff to assess their individual farms, which is online at http://199.133.175.81/WQIPublic/.
Jason Holmes, LSU AgCenter county agent in Union Parish, demonstrated how to calibrate machinery used to spread chicken litter. Material dropped onto a tarp on each of three passes with a manure spreader was weighed, and the average was applied to a formula that determined the tonnage per acre.
Holmes said the method ensures that producers are spreading the proper amount on pastures. He said analysis of the nutrient content should be done before the application.
Allen Hogan of the Louisiana Master Farmer Program said rice farmers are eager to buy chicken litter, but they require an analysis.
Holmes said a computer-guided spreader will provide proper coverage and ensure that litter is spread evenly across a field.
Union Parish poultry farmer Jason Anderson brought his spreader rig to the field day. He said the bed and guidance equipment cost roughly $18,000, but it paid for itself in the first year.
Chris Coreil of the NRCS said the EPA is determined to enforce the Clean Water Act. “Inspection and scrutiny of our waterways will be more intense.”
Coreil agreed that one way of getting rid of litter is to sell it to rice farmers who want soil amendments after laser-leveling their fields.
Coreil said vegetative filter strips are needed to stop or reduce the flow of runoff water from chicken houses, and vegetation buffers 30 feet wide along streams is something the EPA desires. “It’s the last line of defense.”
Filter strips can simply be an area of tall grass, Coreil said, that will trap the flow of sediment and prevent it from reaching waterways. The area should not be used for grazing, he said.
Also, he said, compacted soil will increase runoff, and the extent of soil compaction can be determined with a device called penetrometer.
The Master Farmer portion of the field day included presentations on Louisiana Scenic Waterways, watersheds, farm sewer systems, a review of NRCS Resource Management Systems, and the federal act related to fuel storage known as the Spill Prevention Containment and Countermeasures.
Participation at the field day satisfies completion of the first two phases of the Master Farmer program, said Ernest Girouard, program coordinator. The final phase is writing and implementing a conservation plan.
Master Farmer certification is valid for five years, Girouard said, and requires six hours annually of continuing education. Obtaining Master Farmer status legally gives producers the presumption that their agricultural enterprises are in compliance with state soil and water requirements, Girouard said. “Becoming a certified Master Farmer means you are doing everything you can to make sure your farm is sustainable and environmentally in compliance

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