August 2016 Articles

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Just Rambling August 2015

Just Rambling:
During July, I watched portions of the political conventions and, during these conventions and before, I have seen individuals burning the American Flag or carrying flags from other countries. I know a lot of this flag burning happened in the sixties when there were so many protests against the Vietnam war. I didn’t like the flag burning then when I was a teenager and I sure don’t like it now when I am sixty-five. I especially don’t like to see people... read more

Union Parish

The Union Parish office of the LSU AgCenter would like to congratulate Union Parish 4-H’er Joella Seay and her horse TaDa for being the Junior High Point Winner in the timed (barrels, poles and stakes) events during the recently held LSU AgCenter State 4-H & FFA Horse Show held at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, La. Joella’s points earned from her placings in the barrel racing (7th place), pole bending (6th place), and stake race (2nd place) classes put her... read more

LSU AgCenter Announces State Fair Hay Quality Contest

LSU AgCenter Announces State Fair Hay Quality Contest
The LSU AgCenter is proud to announce the 3rd Annual LSU AgCenter State Fair Hay Quality Contest to be held at the State Fair of Louisiana in Shreveport this October. The Hay Contest was developed to showcase farmers and ranchers in our area that consistently produce quality forages for livestock. Categories in which farmers and ranchers can enter forages include warm-season perennial forages (bahiagrass, bermudagrass,... read more

Finding Comfort in the Chaos of Change

Spiritual Corner
Finding Comfort in the Chaos of Change

There’s been a lot of changes for me this summer. For one, it’s been the first summer that I haven’t been in school or working in 6 years. I also got married in May of this year. On top of daily growing with my new husband, we also moved into a home we are renting and have started getting used to the reality of paying all of our own bills. All of these changes... read more

Study shows mosquito pesticides do not cause honeybee mortality

Study shows mosquito pesticides do not cause honeybee mortality Writer: Randy LaBauve at 225-578-0794 or rlabauve@agcenter.lsu.edu
(07/28/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter researchers in the Department of Entomology found mosquito control done properly has minimal effects on the health of honeybees. The three-part study, funded by a 2013 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, evaluated the... read more

Diseases, insects featured at pecan growers meeting

Diseases, insects featured at pecan growers meeting Writer: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu

(06/23/16) ALEXANDRIA, La. – Choosing the proper fungicide and alternating among those in different chemical groups are important considerations in managing diseases in pecan trees, experts told the audience at the Tri-State Pecan Growers Convention... read more

Louisiana 4-H’ers win national shooting sports championships

Louisiana 4-H’ers win national shooting sports championships
Writer: Craig Gautreaux at 225-578-5673 or cgautreaux@agcenter.lsu.edu (07/13/16) BATON ROUGE, La. – One Louisiana individual and two state teams were crowned national champions at the annual 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships held June 26-July 30 in Grand Island, Nebraska.... read more

North La. farm tour provides updates on crop research

North La. farm tour provides updates on crop research
Writer: Johnny Morgan at 225-578-8484 or jmorgan@agcenter.lsu.edu BASTROP, La. – Despite sweltering temperatures, nearly 200 participants attended the annual Black Farmers Field Day in Collinston on July 22. The field day has been... read more

U.S. cattle and beef: the most complex market of all

U.S. cattle and beef: the most complex market of all Source: Pasture to Market Newsletter In the midst of a constantly changing set of short term market forces, it is easy to overlook the enormous market challenges that are inherently part of cattle and beef markets. Many factors make... read more

Try native plants in your landscape

Try native plants in your landscape Editor: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu, By Dan GillLSU AgCenter Horticulturist
Native plants are not used as much as they could be in our landscapes. While natives cannot satisfactorily replace all of the many types of plants we use, incorporating... read more

Senate Passes GMO Labeling Legislation

Senate Passes GMO Labeling Legislation Source: Beltway Beef Newsletter Tonight, the Senate passed legislation by a vote of 63 to 30 for the labeling of genetically engineered foods. The bill establishes a national, uniform standard and requires... read more

Statement of AFBF President Zippy Duvall on Passage of GMO Disclosure Legislatio

Statement of AFBF President Zippy Duvall on Passage of GMO Disclosure Legislation in the House

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 14, 2016 - "Today's House passage of GMO disclosure legislation means we now begin the work of putting in place a uniform, national labeling system that will provide balanced, accurate information to consumers. Genetically engineered crops have a decades-long track record of safety and benefits for agricultural productivity and our environment. This legislation... read more

Statement by Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding

Statement by Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding President Obama Signing National Biotech Disclosure Into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2016 - "President Obama's signature today will put a stop to the harmful patchwork of state GMO labeling laws and set in place a uniform, national disclosure system that will provide balanced, accurate information to consumers. For decades, biotechnology has made it possible for farmers to grow safe and healthful crops while reducing their environmental... read more

Statement by Zippy Duvall, President American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding

Statement by Zippy Duvall, President American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding House Republican Tax Reform Blueprint
Statement by Zippy Duvall, President American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding House Republican Tax Reform Blueprint
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 5, 2016 - "Farmers and ranchers need a tax code that recognizes the unique financial challenges we face. Running a farm or ranch business is challenging under the best of circumstances as we meet with whatever the markets and Mother Nature send... read more

Agricultural Trade Mission to Cuba

Agricultural Trade Mission to Cuba
Baton Rouge, La. (July 26, 2016) – Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., recently returned from the island nation of Cuba, where he led a 94-person delegation promoting agricultural trade, economic development and tourism.
“We accomplished a great deal during our short visit to Cuba, including opening a dialog with Cuban officials and developing business relationships,” Strain said.... read more

Reduce utility bills with shade trees

Reduce utility bills with shade trees Editor: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu By Dan Gill LSU AgCenter Horticulturist
When you think of shade trees in your landscape, you most likely focus on the shade they create outside. It would be hard to do anything on a patio or deck this time of the year unless it was shaded. But trees that shade our homes also help hold down inside temperatures... read more

Fighting through the Pain

Fighting through the Pain
July, 2016, has shocked the American people with tragedy after tragedy, and did so again just last week in Baton Rouge. On Sunday, July 17th, a deranged shooter fired on police in the Louisiana capital, killing three and wounding three others. Like so many previous attacks in this country, this one fit a pattern: perpetrated by a hateful and heavily-armed bigot, it seemed designed to incite racial violence and to sow division among our people.
On July 7th – merely two weeks... read more

Sweet Potato Seafood Boil

Sweet Potato Seafood Boil
For Crawfish and Crabs: Bring the water to a boil with all of the seasoning included. Add the fresh sweet potatoes (yams) to the boiling water and boil for 10 minutes, but do not remove. Add crawfish or crabs and once water returns to a boil, cook for an additional 8 minutes. Turn the fire off and soak the crawfish or crabs and sweet potatoes for an additional 10 minutes. Remove sweet potatoes and crawfish or crabs from the pot and serve. If using large yams, you may want to cut... read more