This is the Northwest Region newsletter for October 2008.

(Distributed 09/17/08) The deadline has been extended to Sept. 30 for farmers who need waivers from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to qualify for federal disaster insurance to help cover their losses from hurricanes Gustav and Ike. “The deadline had been Sept. 16, but because some of the FSA offices were without power because of the hurricanes, the deadline was extended a couple of weeks,” said Dr. Kurt Guidry, LSU AgCenter agricultural economist.

This is the Northwest Region Newsletter for September 2008.

This is the Northwest Regional Newsletter for August 2008.

(Distributed 07/25/08) Shreveport teens are getting a taste of gardening in an LSU AgCenter summer activity – and learning a whole host of science and math concepts in the process. Grace Peterson, LSU AgCenter Family Nutrition Program coordinator, conducts classes for participants in a Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation (SPAR) summer program.

(Distributed 07/02/08) The No. 1 yard tree problem in Shreveport-Bossier is construction damage, according to Ricky Kilpatrick, LSU AgCenter area forestry agent.

This is the Northwest Regional Newsletter for July 2008.

(Distributed 07/01/08) Greenhouse tomatoes and a constructed wetland were two of the topics covered at a recent field day and open house at the LSU AgCenter’s Red River Research Station in Bossier City. The June 18 event also highlighted research projects at the station on agronomic crops including corn, cotton, wheat, sorghum and soybeans.

(Distributed 06/26/08) A study on the heating of tomato plants grown in greenhouses by an LSU AgCenter scientist is the cover story of the April-June 2008 issue of HortTechnology, a research publication of the American Society for Horticultural Science that has subscribers in 50 countries. Dr. H.Y. Hanna, a professor at the Red River Research Station in Bossier City, conducts research on growing greenhouse tomatoes as productively and efficiently as possible.

(Distributed 06/17/08) An innovative LSU AgCenter program is helping people in several Shreveport neighborhoods grow their own vegetables.