This field guide represents an update of work by Amacher et al. (1989), the original idea of which started with Dr. Bob Miller. The guide provides researchers and others interested in soils with a concise key to the classification of soils throughout Louisiana along with information on geology, climate, vegetation, etc.

This research measures the net economic impact to the Louisiana economy from a major switch in acreage from cotton to corn in 2007.

After the passage of federal welfare reform legislation in 1996, faculty from land-grant universities organized to conduct a study of the legislation’s impact on rural families. The project began in 1998 and runs through 2008. The intent was to provide policymakers and program directors with up-to-date information about the ability of rural, low-income families to be economically self sufficient. The objectives of this project are included in this publication. (PDF Format Only)

A description of how biomass is being used for energy in Louisiana with an emphasis on the potential for expansion in the industry. (Revised 11/06)

Gibberellic acid (GA3) was the first naturally occurring plant growth regulator (PGR) labeled for use on rice in the U.S. GA3 is now profoundly influencing rice production in the southern United States. This bulletin describes the cultural and varietal problems related to emergence that needed to be addressed and provides the step by step approach leading to the use of GA3 as a seed treatment.

A detailed picture of school accountability across Louisiana's regions and school districts.

The purpose of this study is to analyze broiler industry executives’ decisions on where to locate a broiler complex in the United States. The specific objectives are to identify factors affecting site locations of broiler complexes in the United States and to measure the effects and relative importance of these factors on the broiler complex location decision.

The LSU AgCenter operates 20 research locations across the state. These stations work with crops and animals in the same environments and conditions as the state’s farmers, ranchers and foresters to ensure the information they supply meets the needs of Louisiana’s producers. The research focus, special features, size, location and contact information for each research station is included.

This publication provides a new approach to identifying the economic contribution of agriculture to Louisiana. Both state and parish level contributions from food and fiber are included.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic growth in credit card usage among college students. How are Louisiana State University undergraduates using credit cards? Are LSU students managing credit card debt wisely? What can Louisiana State University do to offer the appropriate kinds of help to enable students to be financially literate? These are the issues addressed is this publication.

The green industry is the production, sale and maintenance of ornamental plants and related products. The purpose of this study was to estimate the impact of the green industry on Louisiana’s economy.

This bibliography was compiled at a time of increasing concerns about the health status of baldcypress forests in Louisiana and beyond. This bibliography intends to provide researchers, decision makers and forestry professionals with a comprehensive reference in this subject. (PDF Format Only)

This study was designed to examine the biological and economical efficacy of relaying crawfish into a growing rice crop in an intercropping manner.

The information should make it easier for anyone using a fertilizer spreader to select an appropriate type of spreader and to obtain optimum performance from the selected spreader. This bulletin summarizes 24 years of design, study, research and teaching about fertilizer spreaders.

The purpose of this research was (1) to determine if the natural rise and fall of saline ground water is the source of Na in the soils of the Macon Ridge, and (2) to determine if the use of saline irrigation water results in salinization (increasing levels of both Na and Cl) of the soil environment.

Reducing the amounts of dissolved substances in surface and ground water is of major concern nationally and within the agricultural community. The primary focus of this study was to investigate the fate of azinphosmethyl (Guthion®) in sugarcane canopy, soil and runoff water.

This report presents cost estimates of precision grading sugarcane fields for which the sugarcane producer purchases the laser-leveling and dirt-moving equipment and performs the work with farm labor. Both variable and fixed costs associated with precision grading are estimated on a per hour of operation basis as well as costs per acre and per cubic yard of dirt moved.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of sugarcane residue (mulch cover) in reducing non-point source contamination of applied chemicals from sugarcane fields.

A primary objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of selected pesticide management practices on the movement of atrazine and metribuzin in surface runoff from sugarcane fields in south Louisiana.

This report presents annual ownership cost estimates associated with sugarcane combine harvesters. Two primary types of annual machinery ownership costs are defined, and estimates of these costs are calculated using current combine harvester purchase prices.

Research was undertaken to determine the factors that affect the increase of smut and the extent of the threat posed to the Louisiana industry by the disease. In addition, research was focused on the nature and inheritance of disease resistance and determining the best methods for developing resistant cultivars. The results of these research projects and recommendations for minimizing losses to smut through disease management practices on the farm are presented in this bulletin.

Producers continually search for alternative marketing outlets that offer the potential for superior financial returns. This study analyzed whether Louisiana soybean farmers could net increased profits by barging soybeans into Matamoros, Mexico, instead of selling them at harvest to local elevators.

The data presented in this report were collected by entomologists to provide Louisiana soybean producers with information on insect management practices that may be required as they select the soybean maturity group that best fits their production systems.

The velvetbean caterpillar and the soybean looper are important pests of soybeans in Louisiana. These late-season soybean insect pests create the need for the continuous development of insecticide programs that are cost effective, maintain profitable yields and conserve natural enemies.

Georgia-5 tall fescue was developed for use as a permanent, cool-season pasture grass on the Coastal Plain. The results of two field plot experiments and observations from additional small-plot plantings and 40 acres of pasture for grazing experiments at the Rosepine Research Station provide the basis for this discussion of Georgia-5 tall fescue establishment.

Incidence of groundwater contamination by agrichemicals in the United States and elsewhere is of concern in terms of the health effects associated with chemical contaminants present in drinking water. The major objectives of this study were: (1) to quantify the mobility of atrazine and nitrates in a Sharkey clay soil in the presence of a shallow water table, and (2) to determine evidence of preferential flow patterns on the mobility of agricultural chemicals in such soils.

Louisiana provides a warm, humid climate favorable for endemic and epidemic development of many rice diseases. Rice is frequently damaged by these diseases, resulting in significant reductions in yield, grain quality, and income to growers. This bulletin explains how management of these minor diseases can contribute to the total yield and quality increase produced by fungicidal sprays.

Disease damage to rice can greatly impair productivity and sometimes destroy a crop. This bulletin includes information on disease identification, rice diseases in Louisiana and physiological disorders common to Louisiana rice.

‘Bengal’ is an early maturing, semidwarf, medium-grain rice variety developed at the Rice Research Station, Crowley, Louisiana. This bulletin includes information on the history, characteristics, yield potential, cultural management and pest reaction.

‘Cypress’ is a high yielding, early maturing, semidwarf long-grain rice variety with excellent grain quality. This bulletin includes information on the history, characteristics, cultural management and pest reaction of cypress.

The results presented in this publication indicate that efforts to educate producers about nonpoint source pollution and recommended practices to minimize it can be effective in encouraging producers to adopt best management practices, whether those educational efforts are through dissemination of information at producer meetings or other outlets.

This report presents basis estimates for long grain rough rice in Southwest Louisiana for each of six marketing years from 1991-92 through 1996-97. The primary goal of this study is to enhance the understanding of basis movements in Southwest Louisiana, thereby increasing the likelihood that sound marketing decisions will be made by market participants.

‘Jodon’ is a high yielding, very early maturing, semidwarf long-grain rice variety with excellent ratooning (second cropping) characteristics. This bulletin includes information on the history, characteristics and cultural management of Jodon.

Beef handlers (processors, wholesalers, meat markets, grocery stores and restaurants) are entrepreneurs who will make changes in their operations if they feel these changes will increase profits. This survey of beef handlers reveals the recognition at all levels of the beef marketing channel of the buyers’ need to know about the product they are considering for purchase.

Cattle of all ages, but particularly young cattle, are affected by a diversity of internal parasites. This publication includes information on the different types and effects of treatments.

The objective of this study was to examine the technical efficiency of beef cattle producers from across Louisiana and to determine the types of producers and practices that are associated with technically efficient farms. Sixty-two producers were surveyed in Fall 1998 at LSU AgCenter Extension parish offices.

Strip cropping has long been used to reduce soil erosion when growing crops in hilly terrain. This publication includes several versions of this system, including experiments tested on Louisiana watermelon crops.

Annual ryegrass, and cereal rye, tall fescue, and bromegrass, are cool-season forage crops. The information presented is a summary of several varietal studies conducted at the Hill Farm Research Station. The overall objective of these studies was to evaluate and identify varieties of these cool-season forage crops that offer highest forage yield potential for cattle producers in north Louisiana.

The purpose of this publication is to explain a fertility study that was initiated in the fall of 1996 due to limited information on annual ryegrass responses to either soil-incorporated broiler litter or commercial fertilizers use rates on upland sandy Coastal Plain soils.

A unique, naturally occurring variety of bermudagrass was identified in an Alicia bermudagrass hay field in Sabine Parish in 1991. This publication includes information on the comparisons of this variety with the three bermudagrass varieties most widely planted in the area in recent years, conducted in a field plot experiment at the Rosepine Research Station.

Wheat, a cool-season crop, is often used in double-cropping systems. The objective of this research was to evaluate yield performance and dates of maturity for wheat varieties with a wide range of maturity.

Contamination of food and feed grains by aflatoxins is a problem throughout the world. Corn produced in the southeastern United States has higher levels of aflatoxin than corn produced in the Corn Belt of the Midwest.

The development of a high quality, perennial summer forage, with late summer or early fall production, has been a long-standing objective of Louisiana forage researchers. This publication includes information on rhizoma peanut, a legume that has the potential to fill this summer forage deficit and provide producers quality high value hay with little nitrogen input.

Winter vegetation common to Northeast Louisiana ranges from easy-to-control weeds, such as annual bluegrass and common chickweed, to difficult-to-control species, such as curly dock and ryegrass. This publication includes information on proper weed identification and herbicide selection, the keys to a successful preplant burndown weed control program.

‘LA Early,’ a new early maturing satsuma mandarin cultivar, is a product of the citrus breeding program of the LSU AgCenter, whose function is to develop fresh market lines of citrus (navels, satsumas and other cultivars) with improved quality, fruit characteristics and production. This high-quality satsuma mandarin ripens in early September to mid October.

‘Early St. Ann’ is the product of the LSU AgCenter’s citrus research program whose function is to develop fresh market lines of citrus cultivars such as navels, oranges, satsuma mandarins and others with improved quality and production. This improved quality, early maturing satsuma mandarin ripens in early September to mid-October and should complement the market of early satsumas for commercial production.

The objectives of this bulletin are to present a summary of research on precision cultural practices by the LSU AgCenter, to explain and discuss the advantages of these cultural practices, and to recommend practices that should help commercial vegetable growers.

The objectives of this publication are to summarize the results of 8 years of cultural practices research on greens crops conducted at the Hammond Research Station, to explain and discuss the advantages of these cultural practices, and to recommend practices that should help commercial growers of greens crops.

Fresh market cucumber has been an important vegetable crop in southern states for many years. The objectives of these studies were: 1) to determine the influence of staking on yield, fruit quality and related traits of cucumbers; 2) to develop improved cultural techniques to enhance the yield of staked cucumbers; and 3) to minimize the expense to train the plants vertically.

This publication describes tarnished plant bugs and includes information on damage, biology, varietal susceptibility, monitoring, insecticide resistance and efficacy.

Seed treatments have been used in Louisiana and Texas to prevent red imported fire ant damage in grain sorghum. Seed-protecting insecticides often repel or kill red imported fire ants. This publication includes information on current research in Louisiana that is focused on developing insecticide use strategies to manage the red imported fire ant in grain sorghum.

The objectives of this investigation were to convert select Louisiana agricultural by-products to GAC and to characterize these carbons in terms of those physical (surface area, pore structure) and chemical (surface charge, functional groups) properties directly related to adsorption of raw sugar colorants.

Various policy instruments have been used in an attempt to encourage stability in the agricultural sector while simultaneously mitigating the aggregate negative externalities of intensive production. This increasingly visible involvement of agriculture in environmental disputes has driven a search for alternative ways of resolving conflicts between agricultural and environmental concerns, which is discussed in this publication.

This bulletin includes information on the feasibility of using microwave heat to inactivate lipase and LOX, determine the optimum storage and packaging conditions with the fewest adverse effects on functionality, and to determine changes in functionality of rice bran as a result of heat treatment.

This bulletin explains how value-added secondary wood processing offers opportunities for increased profitability through higher margins and increased profits. It also includes information on how secondary manufacturers can generally increase prices to make up for lost profits when raw material costs rise.

This bulletin explains the goal to develop the secondary forest products industry while adding value to existing resources, creating employment opportunities with transferable skills and maintaining the stewardship of renewable resources in rural communities.

This bulletin presents a methodology for the incorporation of within-season sucrose accumulation in sugarcane into an optimal single-season, daily harvest scheduling model at the individual farm level.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of changes in the size and location of agribusiness firms for parish economies in Louisiana from 1982 to 1992.

A revised hybrid IMPLAN model of the Louisiana economy, based on its structure in 1985, was used to estimate the impact of agricultural exports on the state economy. This publication includes the results of the model, which should be useful to state policy makers and others concerned about the ability of foreign markets to generate economic activity in Louisiana.

This publication covers a study that analyzed the impact of changes in prices and production costs on U.S. rice planted acreage over the 1970-92 period.

Multipliers derived from any input-output model are upper bound estimates of the potential economic activity generated by a particular sector of an economy. The model presented in this publication can serve as a device for evaluating the effects of a particular policy, such as a particular change in agricultural environmental regulations, on general economic activity in Louisiana.

The measurement of economic, locational and topographic variables hypothesized to influence rural land values is expected to be useful in managing Louisiana's land resource. This report presents estimates of the effects of various rural real estate characteristics on the value of rural real estate.

The objective of this study was to investigate the market potential for minced meat products derived from Louisiana’s undersized crawfish. Specific objectives were to: (1) identify potential markets for crawfish mince-based products and the product attributes needed for market acceptance; and (2) estimate potential buyer preferences for food grade products derived from undersized crawfish minced meat.

The purpose of this bulletin is to present a method to value perennial crops associated with eminent domain acquisition of agricultural crop land. More specifically, it focuses on the estimation of the value of ‘short-lived’ perennial crops, crops that have a productive life over a relatively short, defined period of years, as opposed to permanent plantings, such as orchards or vineyards, which have a productive life over a considerably longer period.

This publication focuses on forest resources and implications for industry development in this region.

In this study, industry development opportunities specific to northwestern Louisiana were examined. This publication focuses on the economic impacts of forest products industry development in this region.

This study empirically assessed the impact of stochastic price and yield variables on catfish producer profits within a risk-evaluation framework.

The objectives of this study are to: (1) use an appropriate model of structural change in agricultural industries to critically examine the evolutionary paths of the three major U.S. meat industries to date, and to (2) provide insight as to the future challenges faced by the beef industry in progressing toward a more efficient consumer-oriented industry.

Imported fresh or frozen beef, along with other food products, is identified by country-of-origin as it enters the U.S. in bulk containers. This bulletin includes information and primary objectives on country-of-origin of fresh or frozen beef.

This bulletin is a follow-up, in part, of Bulletin #869, “Granular Activated Carbons from Agricultural By-products: Preparation, Properties and Application in Cane Sugar Refining.” An estimation of production costs for these by product-based carbons was considered prudent at this time because of the potential interest from both bagasse and shell producers and activated carbon manufacturers based on the use of these carbons in various applications compared to commercial carbons.

Most of the crop agriculture in Louisiana is produced on rented land. The purpose of this publication is to help tenants and landlords make better informed decisions and develop fair rental arrangements.

The recent, widespread adoption of the variety LCP 85-384 has caused sugarcane producers in Louisiana to reevaluate the number of stubble crops to keep in production before plowing out and replanting. This report outlines a procedure that can be used to determine the optimal number of sugarcane stubble crops to keep in production with the goal of maximizing producer net returns.

Waterfowl-related activities generate millions of dollars for Louisiana’s economy annually, with duck and goose hunting as one of the most significant sporting activities. Economic information on the characteristics that influence the decision to hunt waterfowl can provide valuable information to resource managers faced with declining waterfowl populations as well as declining numbers of waterfowl hunters.

This study integrates regional economic theory with empirical analysis through the construction of an interregional core-periphery input-output (I-O) model of the 10- parish Monroe, Louisiana, Functional Economic Area economy. The model is used to estimate trade relationships and resulting economic linkages between the core and periphery economies.

The research discussed in this bulletin involves an evaluation of several comprehensive pest management programs. Data were collected on the effects of the pest management control strategies on populations of beneficial and harmful insect populations, damage caused to plants, and effects on cotton stands, plant height, leaf area, white bloom counts, maturity and yield.

This report summarizes a year-long study of the current and future role of technology in the Mid-South, Southeast and High Plains cotton production systems. In short, this report documents the combined vision of cotton production scientists and extension personnel with respect to the future of U.S. and regional cotton production.

The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of planting date and two different levels of early season pest control (with and without Temik-TSX) and their interaction on stand establishment, seedling disease, root-knot nematode infection, and yield of cotton. Additionally, weekly white flower counts were made throughout the study for an analysis of the relationship between weekly white flower counts and yield as influenced by the level of early season pest control.

This study examined the impact of the Louisiana pet turtle industry on the state economy by using a modified version of an input-output (I-O) model constructed with the Impact Analysis Planning (IMPLAN) model building system.

The goal of this study was to produce a detailed production model incorporating constraints unique to closed system culture and to conduct a formal economic analysis of closed system operation.

This study investigates whether diverse aquaculture interest groups can collectively agree on ways to coordinate this resource use by developing goals and indicators of aquaculture sustainability. Specifically, this study used aquaculture experts from the production, research, regulatory and public interest sectors to identify and weight a broad range of indicators of aquaculture sustainability in the southeastern United States.