November 2013 Articles

Archives by Months

Just Rambling, November 2013

Just Rambling: Recently there was a run on food in the Walmart stores located in Springhill and Mansfield, La. This happened when the EBT (food stamp) cards limits were lifted due to a power failure.(The back up generator also failed.) This was a regularly-scheduled test according to Xerox, a vendor for the EBT system. According to news reports Louisiana wasn’t the only state affected, however it appears that recipients in these two towns were the only ones that tried to take advantage... read more

Spiritual Corner:

Spiritual Corner: It’s easy to be thankful when things are going well in our lives. We continually talk about how blessed we are and how great our God is when everything seems to be right on track, just the way we want it. However, it seems that as soon as our lives take a negative spin, we begin to forget how blessed we are. We start to complain and gripe or whine about our problems. We wonder where God is and why He is letting all of this happen to us. I’m sure we all can relate to... read more

Strategic Hay Feeding To Improve Soil Fertilit

Strategic Hay Feeding To Improve Soil Fertility K.J. Simon, A. Jennings, M.D. Keaton, & M.S. Gadberry, UofA
Increased cost of fertilizer and fuel has made it difficult for livestock producers to maintain adequate soil fertility needed for optimum production in pastures and hayfields. Strategic hay feeding aids in improving soil fertility. The average nutrient content of a 4’ x 5’ round bale of Bermuda hay is 16 lbs N, 5 lbs of P2O5 and 18 lbs K2O. At current... read more

Beef Cattle Body Condition

Beef Cattle Body Condition Source: Tim Page, LSU AgCenter
INTRODUCTION For many years, most beef cattle producers have observed the body fat reserves of their cattle herd and used that information to make feeding and nutritional decisions. Research shows
that proper nutrition and efficient use of forage reduces costs. In today’s beef cattle industry, many producers monitor the effectiveness of their nutritional programs by using body condition scoring. Body... read more

You can plant fall, winter vegetables now

You can plant fall, winter vegetables now Editor: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu By Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter Horticulturist
If you’re not keeping your vegetable garden productive through the winter, you’re missing out on one of the most rewarding times of the year for growing vegetables. An amazing selection of vegetables can only be grown here during the cool season from October-November through... read more

Plant Winter Annual Forages for Wintering Beef Cattle Even When You “Have Ple

Plant Winter Annual Forages for Wintering Beef Cattle Even When You “Have Plenty of Hay”
Source: Dr. Paul Beck, Professor, University of Arkansas
In the last three years, record acres of winter annuals (small grains like wheat, brassicas like turnips and/or annual ryegrass) have been planted by producers for wintering beef cattle due to hay and forages shortages related to the drought. Benefits identified by producers include reduced hay use, no need for concentrate... read more

Producers earn credit at Master Farmer University

Producers earn credit at Master Farmer University
Writer: Johnny Morgan at 225-578-8484 or jmorgan@agcenter.lsu.edu
ALEXANDRIA, La. – Cattle producers, row crop farmers and timber owners earned certification credit at a two-day Master Farmer University course on the LSU campus in Alexandria on Oct. 24-25.
The two-day workshop allowed producers to be certified in phases I and II of the Louisiana Master Farmer program without having to go to multiple locations on multiple... read more

Fruit, vegetable growers learn new FDA food safety rules

Fruit, vegetable growers learn new FDA food safety rules Writer: Bruce Schultz at (337) 788-8821 or bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu
WINNSBORO, La. – A complex set of federal food safety regulations will affect many producers of agricultural products and require more record keeping, an LSU AgCenter specialist told fruit and vegetable growers at the Northeast Louisiana Fruit... read more

Technology aids in bull testing, evaluation

Technology aids in bull testing, evaluation
Writer: Bruce Schultz at 337-788-8821, 337-250-3876 (cell) or bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu
OPELOUSAS, La. – An LSU AgCenter cattle researcher told producers the use of ultrasound technology to get a glimpse of an animal’s beef quality removes the mystery out of buying cattle and can result in better prices at the sale barn.
Tim Page used ultrasound on a bull at the Acadiana Cattle Producers Fall Field Day on Oct. 3 to show ribeye... read more

Cotton yields could reach record

Cotton yields could reach record Writer: Tobie Blanchard at 225-578-5649 or tblanchard@agcenter.lsu.edu.
WINNSBORO, La. – As cotton harvest in Louisiana comes to an end, farmers are seeing record high yields, although the cotton acreage is at a record low, according to David Kerns, LSU AgCenter cotton specialist.
“I think we stand a good chance of breaking our pounds-per-acre record. Yields have been outstanding,” Kerns said. “I’ve seen dryland cotton picking... read more

Summary of October USDA NASS Cattle on Feed:

Summary of October USDA NASS Cattle on Feed:
Source: Ross Pruitt, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness LSU AgCenter

This month’s USDA NASS’ Cattle on Feed report doesn’t contain any big surprises. While the number of cattle marketed from feedlots of at least 1,000 head capacity was on the high side of what analysts thought USDA would report, this is accounted for in the fact there was one additional slaughter in September 2013 compared to a year ago. When accounting... read more

Fall fertilizer application can buy farmers time

Fall fertilizer application can buy farmers time Writer: Johnny Morgan at 225-578-8484 or jmorgan@agcenter.lsu.edu
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter research being conducted shows that farmers who grow multiple crops may benefit from applying some nutrients during fall if soil tests are completed first.
Growers have been interested in getting in their fields earlier, especially to plant corn, said LSU AgCenter agronomist Josh Lofton.
Corn production has changed a lot over the past few years,... read more

AFBF and 250-Plus Groups Urge Congress to Pass Farm Bill

AFBF and 250-Plus Groups Urge Congress to Pass Farm Bill Source: www.fb.org
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 29, 2013 – More than 250 organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, sent a letter today to House and Senate agriculture committee members and leadership advocating passage of a five-year farm bill as soon as possible. The groups are urging Congress to move forward on a unified farm bill that preserves a five-year authorization for all programs, while continuing the partnership between the... read more

Louis Dreyfus Elevator

Louis Dreyfus Elevator Source: www.lfbf.org/presidents Louisiana’s grain shipping infrastructure got its biggest boost in more than 50 years last week as the new Louis Dreyfus grain elevator officially opened at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge.
The new facility, formerly operated by Cargill, was renovated with more than $150 million in improvements, making it one of the premier grain handling facilities on the Mississippi River.
“It brings deep draft shipping back into the northern... read more

Poultry Grower Lois Alt Prevails Against EPA

Poultry Grower Lois Alt Prevails Against EPA
Source: www.fb.org
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 24, 2013 – Poultry and livestock farmers declared victory on Wednesday when a federal court ruled in favor of West Virginia poultry farmer Lois Alt in a lawsuit she brought against the Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia ruled that contrary to EPA’s contention, ordinary stormwater from Alt’s farmyard is exempt from National Pollutant Discharge Elimination... read more

Louisiana Rice Farmers Restructure Research and Promotion Programs

Louisiana Rice Farmers Restructure Research and Promotion Programs
Source: Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry, Mike Strain DVM, Commissioner
Baton Rouge, La. (October 22, 2013) – Rice farmers in Louisiana are restructuring the way they fund research and promotion programs following a ruling from the state Supreme Court. The ruling states that the method used by the state legislature to create the check off programs, a means to collect money from all rice farmers to promote the industry, is... read more

Feeding the Easy Keeper

Feeding the Easy Keeper Source: Dr. Mark Russell, Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas
If you’re fortunate enough to ever own an “easy keeper,” consider yourself one of the lucky horse owners. Most horses do not fall into this category. Easy keepers are horses that usually maintain or gain weight on a minimum amount of feeding and require less management from horse owners.
But there is a downside to owning or caring for the easy keeper. Unfortunately, the easy keeper can potentially develop obesity,... read more

Retained Ownership an Attractive Opportunity this Fall

Retained Ownership an Attractive Opportunity this Fall
Source: Ross Pruitt, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness LSU AgCenter
This year appears to be another strong year for winter stocker returns. While returns are estimated to be greater than last year, there are some significant differences compared to last year. The first difference is that the number of cattle available is smaller than last year. Although there is no Cattle on Feed report being issued by USDA this month, analysts estimate that the total number... read more

Pumpkin Crunch

Pumpkin Crunch

Velvet found this and it was delicious . Perfect for Thanksgiving or any other time. Super easy.

15 oz can pumpkin 1/2 cup sugar
12 oz can evaporated milk 3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine above ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan.

Yellow Cake Mix 1 cup butter

Sprinkle cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture and pour melted butter on top Bake @ 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

La. dairy farmers prepare for EPA visits

La. dairy farmers prepare for EPA visits Writer: Johnny Morgan at 225-578-8484 or jmorgan@agcenter.lsu.edu
BATON ROUGE, La. – A recent meeting sponsored by the LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry brought dairy farmers together to discuss their nutrient management plans and to make sure they are in compliance before EPA visits in the coming weeks.
The visits to dairy and other types of farm operations are routine, said Gary Hay, director of the LSU AgCenter School of Animal Sciences.
... read more