Just Rambling: Louisiana Farm Bureau Beef Tour traveled throughout Arkansas on April 5th through April 8th. A tour bus carrying over fifty cattlemen and women traveled first to Texarkana to visit the Four States Fair and Rodeo facilities. While there we visited... read more
Spiritual Corner: De-cluttering
This weekend proved to be a very busy weekend for the Alexander family. We were moving out of our rented trailer in Dubach and moving all of our belongings into my parents’ garage until our recently-purchased mobile home can be cleaned. Needless to say, the weekend was busy. We had some great help though in our friends Jayde and Jonathan Long and Garrett Smith. Then of course, the real MVPs were my parents, Van and... read more
Preparations for Foaling Dr. Saundra TenBroeck - sht@ufl.edu University of Florida As we move into the early spring we begin to notice that, little by little, the days are getting longer. Mares bred in the previous spring are beginning to track wider. Anticipation of the upcoming foal crop should prompt you to make necessary preparations. As you devel-op the management... read more
President Trump Signs Executive Orders to Boost Rural America WASHINGTON (April 26, 2017) – President Trump is sending a clear signal this week that he is interested and engaged in helping boost rural America. With the executive order signed on Tuesday, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue will chair a newly established Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity, charged “to... read more
White House Takes Important First Step to Reining in the Antiquities Act WASHINGTON (April 26, 2017) – The Public Lands Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association applaud the executive order signed today that calls for a review of designations made under the Antiquities Act by previous presidents.
Dave Eliason, PLC president, said while the Act was intended... read more
Administration Proposes Comprehensive Tax Reform Plan, Includes Repeal of Death Tax WASHINGTON (April 26, 2017) - This afternoon, top officials in the Trump Administration released their proposal for comprehensive tax reform, calling it the “biggest tax cut in U.S. history.” The plan is designed to serve as the starting point as Congress and the Administration work to pass a comprehensive tax reform package... read more
Field day features wildlife management information Writer: Olivia McClure at 225-578-3262 or omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu(05/03/17) CLINTON, La. — Attendees of a recent field day at the LSU AgCenter Bob R. Jones-Idlewild Research Station heard presentations and saw demonstrations on wildlife management. The event, held on April 29, was hosted by the AgCenter, the Quality Deer Management... read more
LSU AgCenter irrigation projects discussed at water symposium Writer: Olivia McClure at 225-578-3262 or omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu (04/13/17) BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter faculty members spoke about their projects on improving irrigation efficiency and water quality at the Louisiana Groundwater,... read more
SunPatiens named Louisiana Super Plant Editor: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu By Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter Horticulturist at 225-578-2222 or dgill@agcenter.lsu.edu When Louisiana gardeners think about sunny summer flower beds, we know exactly what we want. We are looking for a bedding plant that thrives in the stifling... read more
Scale insect is causing widespread wetland damage Writer: Bruce Schultz at 337-788-7531 or bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu
(04/19/17) VENICE, La – An LSU AgCenter entomologist is studying a small insect that has damaged vegetation key to the survival of Louisiana coastal marsh. Rodrigo Diaz said the insect, called the Phragmites scale, has damaged a considerable amount of roseau cane in Plaquemines Parish from Venice to the mouth of the Mississippi River.... read more
Effects of Injectable Castration Regimen on Beef Bull Calves Ball, J. et al. University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science Arkansas Animal Science Department Report, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series 638:9-10 (December 2016) Husbandry practices in the beef industry that are associated with pain, discomfort and distress include castration, dehorning and branding. It has been estimated... read more
AFBF’s President Duvall Joins in Historic White House Ag Roundtable Source: www.fb.org During a meeting with farmers and ranchers, President Donald Trump pledged today that his administration, including newly installed Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, would work to address critical challenges faced by agriculture, according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.... read more
Farm Bureau Welcomes New Ag Secretary Source: www.fb.org WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2017 – The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Farm Bureau heartily congratulates Secretary Sonny Perdue on his new role leading our nation’s Agriculture Department. We are eager for agriculture to finally have a seat in... read more
Farm Bureau Welcomes New Ag Secretary Source: www.fb.org WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2017 – The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Farm Bureau heartily congratulates Secretary Sonny Perdue on his new role leading our nation’s Agriculture Department. We are eager for agriculture to finally have a seat in... read more
New Bill Would Help Get More Vets Practicing in Shortage Areas A recently introduced bill to increase grants that encourage veterinarians to practice in veterinary shortage areas has the support of the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act (S. 487, H.R. 1268) would eliminate the withholding tax on grants awarded under the Veterinary Medicine Loan... read more
Update on Strain Meeting with Presidential Ag Adviser and EPA
Baton Rouge, La. (April 13, 2017) – Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., returned from Washington D.C. Wednesday evening following meetings with high ranking federal administrators. Strain met with Ray Starling... read more
LSU takes top honors at national poultry judging contest Writer: Johnny Morgan at 225-578-8484 or jmorgan@agcenter.lsu.edu (04/13/17) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU poultry judging team won numerous awards at this year’s U.S. Poultry Foundation Ted Cameron National Poultry Judging Contest held April 5-7 on the LSU Baton Rouge campus. For 70 years, LSU... read more
Agriculture official urges innovation to address food security, waste Writer: Olivia McClure at 225-578-3262 or omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu BATON ROUGE, La. – The world is facing an “existential threat” to nutritional security, a problem that will only become worse as the global population increases, a U.S. Department... read more
Harvesting summer vegetables Editor: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu By Dan Gill LSU AgCenter Horticulturist, at 225-578-2222 or dgill@agcenter.lsu.edu People work very hard to plant and take care of a home vegetable garden. After doing all of that work, it’s a shame not to harvest vegetables at the proper time. Harvesting at the right stage is essential to getting... read more
CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR AMERICA’S FARMERS AND RANCHERS
WASHINGTON, March 16, 2017 – America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to strongly represent agriculture in their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census, to be mailed at the end of this year, is a complete count of all U.S. farms,... read more
LSU AgCenter to downsize cattle herd at Hill Farm Research Station Writer: Tobie Blanchard at 225-578-5649 or tblanchard@agcenter.lsu.edu (04/12/17) HOMER, La. – The LSU AgCenter plans to significantly downsize the cattle herd during the next six months at the Hill Farm Research Station in Homer, with cattle research eventually being eliminated at the station.... read more