Harvest has begun in Louisiana for one of our most popular crops – the sweet potato. Louisiana farmers produce about 5 million bushels a year. The total value to the Louisiana economy in 2007 was more than $110 million. Louisiana boasts the only sweet potato research station in the country – a 307-acre facility in Chase. The Sweet Potato Research Station will host a field day Aug. 14.

Louisiana has stepped out ahead of all other states in the nation in helping farmers learn to voluntarily comply with stricter environmental regulations governing water quality. This has happened because of the LSU AgCenter’s Master Farmer Program.

Yards and gardens generally look a little frayed by this time of the year. The final really hot days that usually come at the end of a long, hot summer are especially hard on plants, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill.

From pre-K through college, LSU AgCenter experts offer advice about preparation and survival skills for a successful school year. Getting ready involves more than students. It’s important to the family, the community and the nation.

Teach the young about the value of Louisiana’s coastline and marshes, and they’ve learned a lesson for a lifetime. That’s the philosophy behind the LSU AgCenter’s annual series of Marsh Maneuvers camps. They’re unique opportunities to mix fun with education – and in the end, help save our coast.

Established as the Fruit and Truck Experiment Station in 1922, the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station in Hammond has served the needs of the strawberry and vegetable industries in Southeast Louisiana for more than 80 years. While continuing to serve this industry, the station has now embarked on a new initiative to provide research and education for the green service industry.

The traditional focus of the Iberia Research Station has been animal husbandry research, but the scope of research has been diversified in recent years to include agronomic crops of economic importance to the area.

The LSU AgCenter offers home gardeners opportunities to develop their skills and share their knowledge with others through participation in the Louisiana Master Gardener program.

Biotechnology Education for Students and Teachers, the BEST program, was established in 2001 to raise the level of science education in Louisiana and prepare the state's youth to become the researchers our society needs for a prosperous and safe future.

Sugarcane has been an integral part of the Louisiana economy and culture for more than 210 years. When the Jesuit priests first brought sugarcane to Louisiana in 1751, little did they know that they were laying the foundation for an industry that now contributes $2 billion to the Louisiana economy. The industry could not be sustained, however, without LSU AgCenter research.

Katrina and Rita – names that will live forever – remain a part of the south Louisiana dialog and a pair of storms that will undoubtedly reshape the way Louisiana residents think about tropical weather. Virtually every aspect of community and business life across the Bayou State continues to display a direct effect from these catastrophes, and their signatures of destruction remain evident in the agriculture and forestry sectors as well.

Nearly all of the rice grown in Louisiana was developed at the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station in Crowley. The world’s first herbicide-resistant rice, which helps Louisiana producers fight the weeds that historically have plagued their rice, was discovered at the station.

More than 1,600 4-H’ers and volunteer leaders from Louisiana's 64 parishes will converge on the LSU campus to participate in competitive activities and learning experiences June 17-20, 2008. This marks the 94th year of 4-H University but the 100th year of 4-H in Louisiana.

Northeast Louisiana's economy depends on the LSU AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph in Tensas Parish. That's because agriculture is the backbone of the regional economy, contributing about $1 billion.

By far, Louisiana’s biggest agricultural industry is forestry, which contributed nearly $4.9 billion to the state’s economy in 2006. These trees are even more valuable if after they’re cut, they stay in Louisiana and are made into products here, rather than being shipped some place else. The LSU AgCenter is working to use these trees to fuel further economic development in the state.

Asian soybean rust, a globe-trotting disease that ravages soybeans, found its way to North America in 2004 and has changed farming in Louisiana ever since.

The aim of the LSU AgCenter’s Master Cattle Producers program is to put quality beef on the table, not just hundredweight on the hoof. The program, a spinoff to the LSU AgCenter’s Master Farmer Program, is designed to help producers improve the efficiency and management of their cattle operations – and make more money.

Mosquitoes buzz around Louisiana every day of the year. More than 60 species inhabit the state. While many are benign, some are carriers – or vectors – of several worrisome diseases. It's everyone's responsibility to keep their numbers down.

There's a hurricane forming. It's time to pull out your family disaster plan. What's that? You don't have one? See how many of these questions you can answer with a "yes."

Though the number of dairies in Louisiana has been decreasing, the dairy industry remains strong, contributing more than $160 million to the state’s economy in 2006. Louisianans benefit from having local dairies supply fresh, wholesome milk. These local dairies exist because of the strong dairy research and extension program at the LSU AgCenter.

LSU AgCenter scientists continue to add weapons to their arsenal as they battle the spread of the Formosan subterranean termite. And they’re making headway. This pest voraciously consumes wooden structures and woody plants and causes hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Red imported fire ants are not just a nuisance. They pose a health threat to many individuals allergic to their sting. LSU AgCenter entomologists are working to control these pests.

If they haven’t already, parents are making decisions about what to do with their youngsters during the summer months. Parents have many options, and LSU AgCenter child care associates can guide decisions by offering tips and advice on where to search and what to look for in quality child care and summer camp programs.

Adding value to sugarcane has always been the mission of the LSU AgCenter’s Audubon Sugar Institute. But that mission has taken a new twist in these times of high fuel costs. One of newest projects is making ethanol from cane.

A rose can say a lot. The beautiful blossoms speak of love, sorrow and appreciation. If a dozen roses can say so much, then the rose garden at the LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center speaks volumes. The garden has 150 varieties of roses and more than 1,500 individual plants. Research on this popular flower is conducted at this station in Baton Rouge.

For the LSU AgCenter’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program, the vision is to develop leaders who can tackle challenges. The reality is a program that has produced more than 275 graduates since 1988.

It will take a village to stem the growing trend of childhood obesity. And the LSU AgCenter has joined a community push to keep kids healthier.

Every April for the past five years, Parker Coliseum on the LSU AgCenter campus in Baton Rouge has been transformed into a wonderland of agriculture. Called AgMagic, this week-long event is designed to teach children – and anybody else – about where their food comes from.

Many taxpayers already have gathered their documents, filled out their forms and sent in their tax return, but many will wait until the last minute. And the tax deadline is looming. But there is good news for most taxpayers.

A well-groomed, lush, green lawn is not only pleasing to look at but adds value to housing property. The attractiveness of golf course turfgrass is one of the reasons this sport is so popular. But this beauty comes with a price – proper management. Here are some tips from LSU AgCenter experts.

Teaching students to be aware of the environment is the first step to their actively becoming environmental stewards. And during the LSU AgCenter’s second annual Youth Wetlands Week, March 31-April 4, more than 55,000 Louisiana students in grades fourth through 12th, some in every parish, will be taking that first step.

Use LSU AgCenter resources to help you with the perfect plan for a beautiful lawn and garden. A beautifully landscaped yard doesn’t just happen. It’s carefully planned.

Whether you like them fried, boiled or in a stew, crawfish are a Louisiana favorite. And for the next six months, crawfish can be found on dinner tables and in backyard boils across the state. For consumers, the news is that crawfish production looks good right now in 2008.

Spring is just around the corner. And now is the time to plan for a beautiful yard and productive garden. Whether you’re a veteran gardener or one who’s never dug in the dirt before, the LSU AgCenter has information to help you grow flowers, vegetables, fruits and improve the looks of your lawn and home landscaping.

“Fun for a week – Memories for a lifetime!” That’s the theme of the summer 2008 4-H camping experience at the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center near Pollock, La. The fun starts with the first of 10 weeklong camps, May 26-30. But the preparations and sign-ups are going on now.

Situated on a tract of 440 acres of open land in the heart of Baton Rouge, Burden Center is one of the LSU AgCenter’s 20 research stations around the state. Acquired by John Charles Burden in the mid 19th century and originally dubbed Windrush Plantation, Burden Center is the home of a wide array of horticultural research projects as well as formal and informal gardens and woods.

Thirty hours of training. That’s all it takes for you to become a leader in rural Louisiana through a unique LSU AgCenter program. Rural Louisiana needs more leaders who can help bring about economic development – and the LSU AgCenter is making that happen.

Louisiana farmers and forest producers could find a silver lining in the cloud of rising fuel prices with the development of new fuels from crops they already grow or could grow.

February is a month dedicated to the heart – in more ways than one. This is the time to celebrate love and give your sweetheart a valentine. This is also the month to wear red and call attention to prevention of the No. 1 killer of women – heart disease.

Not only do Louisiana strawberries taste good. They’re good for the state’s economy. And this year Louisiana strawberry growers so far have a bumper crop.

It all started 100 years ago when people wanting to make progress in Louisiana agriculture realized the best way to get farmers to adopt better farming methods was to teach their kids how to do them. So, from a “corn club” established in Avoyelles Parish in 1908 to teach youth how to grow higher-yielding corn grew the vast Louisiana 4-H organization that now extends into every corner of the state.

Large acreage shifts, high yields and good prices marked 2007 production. And this trend bodes well for the New Year.

Holidays cause stress even under the best of circumstances. And many Louisiana families continue to have far from an ideal situation this Christmas season. Loss can trigger depression during the holidays. And many Louisiana families have experienced great loss because of the hurricanes, an illness or death in the family. Some have family members far away from home in Iraq or Afghanistan or have lost their jobs.

For 2008, resolve to take control of your family finances. Make this the year that you will set goals, determine priorities and get your finances in order. Here are some hints from LSU AgCenter family economist Jeanette Tucker.

Pointy and pretty, no flower quite has the petal power of poinsettias at the holidays. And the selection would be far fewer in Louisiana were it not for the LSU AgCenter. Although AgCenter horticulturists do not develop new varieties of poinsettias, they do evaluate the varieties that come on the market and test them for their suitability to grow here.

The LSU AgCenter Pecan Research and Extension Station represents the only land-grant university research station devoted solely to pecan research and extension programming to support the pecan industry – not only in Louisiana, but the entire pecan-growing region of the southeastern United States.

Pick up Louisiana citrus at roadside stands and in local markets and groceries from now through February. The peak season comes during the holidays from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

Although Louisiana boasts 15,000 miles of shoreline and 40 percent of the nation’s wetlands, it loses an average of one acre of marsh lands every 20 minutes. To stem the relentless erosion of coastal wetlands, the LSU AgCenter has been applying proven scientific techniques for more than a decade to improve native marsh and coastal plants, conducting educational programs for Louisiana’s leaders of tomorrow and providing important information to the state’s public policy leaders.

The LSU AgCenter's "LaHouse" is designed to stand up to hurricane-force winds, swarming insects and harmful humidity. This family-type home is designed to showcase innovations in home construction for Louisiana’s sub-tropical climate.

You can fry it or roast it. Just don’t let that turkey or other foods served at the holidays spoil, says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Beth Reames. Learn ways to keep food safe and how to avoid overindulging.

Smart Bodies is an educational program aimed at preventing childhood obesity. A joint initiative of the LSU AgCenter and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, Smart Bodies integrates classroom activities with hands-on learning to teach children how to build strong bodies and develop active minds.

Improvement of wild and captive white-tailed deer herds is just one of the projects at the LSU AgCenter's Idlewild Research Station near Clinton. This station, established in 1957, has been the home base for research on Louisiana’s wildlife, particularly deer – plus research on fruit crops and forest sustainability.

We encounter choices that affect our health all day long. Take the steps or the elevator? What to have for lunch? Watch television or go for a walk? LSU AgCenter nutrition educators are empowering people to make smart choices. They’re doing this through a new community nutrition education program aimed at a variety of audiences called Smart Choices.

Developments in molecular biology, immunology and genetic engineering have given new dimensions to research on farm animal production. The LSU AgCenter’s Reproductive Biology Center is recognized worldwide as a leader in assisted reproductive technologies for use in livestock improvement, biomedical applications, and propagation of exotic and endangered animal species.

4-H is the nation’s largest youth organization and is a part of the land-grant university system. In Louisiana, the LSU AgCenter is responsible for overseeing this educational outreach program. A major goal of the program is to help young people acquire the skills needed to benefit them, their families and their communities.

From cotton and corn to soybeans and sugarcane, just about every major crop grown in Louisiana grows in Central Louisiana. The LSU AgCenter’s Dean Lee Research Station is in the heart of it to serve the needs of this region.

“Reduce the use.” That’s the mantra of a water conservation campaign spearheaded by the LSU AgCenter in North Louisiana, where people are dependent on the gradually disappearing Sparta Aquifer.

Louisiana gardeners are just as active in the fall as they are the rest of the year. And the LSU AgCenter has a wealth of information to help you keep your landscaping green and blooming year-round.

The LSU AgCenter’s Red River Research Station in Bossier City focuses on agronomic and horticultural crops. Among the commodities and disciplines involved are greenhouse tomatoes, cotton, entomological and plant pathology, soybean variety performance trials, soybean and southern pea breeding, beef cattle and environmental research including a constructed wetland project.

The "Be Child Care Aware!" initiative involves many projects including the training of child-care providers. The following photos were taken over the past two years and include some of the sites where training was held.