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March 2014 Articles

Just Rambling, March 2014
"Local Business Recognized During Northeast Louisiana District Livestock Show"
Louisiana Tech University Stock Horse Team
Red Imported Fire Ants, Management Options -- Continued from March Issue
Livestock Markets and Government Sequestration
Making Sense of the Nitrogen Cycle
Tropical hibiscuses add to spring, summer landscapes
Lawn Mower Safety
Did You Know?
Historical Facts:
Farmers Words of Wisdom
Shade gardening takes planning
Master Gardeners Help Make Louisiana Beautiful
New Waterway Bill Addresses Critical Needs
New Taxes Burdensome for Farm and Ranch Families
Did You Know?
Adequate Land Ranks as Top Concern of Young Farmers
Quote
Feral hogs, deer disease topics of field day
New forestry industries plan moves to Louisiana
Rehydrate with skim milk
Quote
Spiritual Corner: People of the Way
Cutting Corners: Three Layer Delight
Looking Into 2013
Fruit plants add diversity to landscapes
Plant Southern Magnolias Now
Strain Responds to Congress' Farm Bill Extension
Now - or anytime - is a good time to mulch
Historical Facts:
Insect Management--Red Imported Fire Ants--Management Options (Continued from De
• Cotton growers slowly transition to round bales
Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding
Louisiana farmers set several yield records in 2012
Controlling Rain Rot
Vitamins for Horses
Louisiana's Commercial Poultry Industry
"New" Bedding for Broilers
Louisiana Ghost Story
Canadian and U.S. Cow Slaughter Numbers Linked
Cutting Corners: Sausage Corn Chowder
Improving the Profitablity of Contract Boiler Operations
Duck Hunting in LA
Strain Named 2012 Veterinarian of the Year
LDAF Works to Deter Spread of Virus in Horses
Farmers advised on EPA fuel tank rules
Landowners advised to focus on forest productivity
Excess Capacity and its Impact on the Beef Industry
Cattle Inventory Report Summary
Controlling Grass Tetany
Livestock Market News - Situation and Outlook, Week Ending February 1, 2013
Bill extension leaves farmers uncertain about future
Historical Facts:
Trail rides, related businesses offer financial potential
Pigeon Fever Cases Identified in Northwest Arkansas
Dogwoods deserve a second look
Prune trees and shrubs correctly
Horse Trivia
Seasonal Price and Production Influences in the Broiler Chicken Industry
33 recognized as new Louisiana Master Farmers
Cutting Corners: Beef-Stuffed Peppers
Horse Trivia
New License Plate to Benefit Timber Industry
Strain Urges DEA to Review Enforcement of Controlled Substances
NASDA Members Press Congress to Enact Long-Term Farm Bill
Beef Demand Index Improvement
LDAF Warns Horse Owners of Potential Virus
Safe Tractor Operation
Red Imported Fire Ants, Management Options -- Continued from January Issue
IRS Humor
Tips for starting a home vegetable garden
Diagnostic Plan for Weak and Still-born Calves
Antibiotics Remain Important for Animal and Public Health
Farm Bureau Raises Record Food, Funds for Feeding America
Farm Bureau Urges Ag Labor Guestworker Program
Asian soybean rust found earlier this year
Replacement Heifer Management-FAQ's
Planning for azaleas is important spring decision
Proper early-season care gets roses off to a good start
Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day
Aging
Effects of Temperature and Acclimation to Handling on Reproductive Performance o
Improving the Profitablity of Contract Boiler Operations
Cutting Corners: Fried Rice
Psalm 117

(85 articles found)

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Cotton growers slowly transition to round bales

Cotton growers slowly transition to round bales Writer: Tobie Blanchard at 225-578-5649 or tblanchard@agcenter.lsu.edu
BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s cotton crop has been picked, baled and ginned. Large rectangular bales sitting by the fields are a common sight during the harvest season. But in some areas of the state, round bales are replacing the more familiar cotton modules.
The main advantage to round balers is fewer pieces of equipment and less labor needed, according to LSU AgCenter cotton specialist John Kruse. The new pickers harvest the cotton and create the round bales placing them on the turn-row as they go, with no need for a driver pulling a module builder or module operators.
“With this system the farmer has the freedom to go out and pick without having to rely on several other workers,” Kruse said, adding that it also means less equipment to maintain.
The new pickers are pricey, Kruse said, around $575,000-$650,000. In Louisiana, cotton farmers mainly in the Mississippi Delta area have made the switch. The round balers are more common in Arkansas and Mississippi. Kruse said lower cotton prices have made it difficult for farmers across the state to invest in new equipment.
The round bales offer the benefit of protection to the cotton, Kruse said, adding, “Plastic wrap goes around the bale and seals it tightly.”
Gins in areas where farmers have switched to round bales had to put in new equipment, but Kruse said they made the adjustment easily.
He expects to see more round bales in the coming years.
“This is just another step in the mechanization of agriculture,” Kruse said. “The original cotton pickers replaced 100 laborers in the field. And now this piece of equipment allows more production with fewer workers.”

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