Where Can I Buy Fresh Seafood in Louisiana?

The Louisiana Direct Seafood website offers an opportunity to find and buy fresh, wild-caught seafood directly off the boat. Created in partnership with LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant, the website posts allow the visitor to see the “fresh catch” of the day and arrange for purchase. This website also provides information about the port locations. Click here for more information.

Experiences Create Memories

My grandson, Brett, recently went on a field trip to PaPa Simpson's Farm in Arcadia. Brett got to touch a goat and milk a cow. While he got to see others pick up eggs and plant seeds. It was what he personally got to experience that he remembered. So, how can we use that knowledge to make our farm experiences better? Each agritourism venue is different, but to offer the best experience for our visitors, we must make the connection between experience and memory.   People share their memories with others, which markets your business. Who would not want to hear their child talk about how the goat felt to the touch or how they got milk from the cow?

Protect Your Horses With Vaccinations

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter equine specialist is advising horse owners to protect their animals against diseases spread by mosquitoes that are becoming more active with the warmer weather.

Two mosquito-borne diseases West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalomyelitis are prevalent in Louisiana and can cause death in horses. Last year, 63 cases of West Nile virus were reported and eight cases of eastern equine encephalomyelitis were reported across Louisiana.

“The majority of these cases could have been prevented with vaccination,” said Neely Walker.
This year’s first case of West Nile virus in Louisiana was detected in a bird found in Lafayette earlier this month, she said.


Both diseases can cause infection of the brain and spinal cord or their protective covering. For more information click here.

Bill to Unregulate and Unrestrict Sale of Raw Milk in Committee

Please take the opportunity before Wednesday, May 21, 2014 to share your viewpoint about allowing unregulated and unrestricted sale of raw milk to be sold in Louisiana. The Louisiana Senate Health and Welfare Committee needs to hear your view so they can make a decision.

  

Senator David Heitmeier (Chairman) 3501 Holiday Drive Suite 225 New Orleans, LA 70114	(504) 361-6356 HeitmeierD@legis.la.gov
Senator Fred H. Mills, Jr. (Vice-Chairman) 800 S. Lewis St. Suite 203 New Iberia, LA 70560	(337) 365-8484 millsf@legis.la.gov
Senator R.L. "Bret" Allain, II 600 Main Street Suite 1 Franklin, LA 70538	(337) 828-9107 allainb@legis.la.gov
Senator Sherri Smith Buffington 9973 Mansfield Road Keithville, LA 71047	(318) 687-4820 smithbuffington@legis.la.gov
Senator Dan Claitor 7520 Perkins Road Suite 160 Baton Rouge, LA 70808	(225) 765-0206 claitord@legis.la.gov
Senator Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb 1520 Thomas H. Delpit Drive Suite 226 Baton Rouge, LA 70802	(225) 342-9700 dorseyy@legis.la.gov
Senator Dale M. Erdey P.O. Box 908 Livingston, LA 70754	(225) 686-2881 erdeyd@legis.la.gov
Senator Elbert L. Guillory 633 East Landry Street Opelousas, LA 70570	(337) 943-2457 guillorye@legis.la.gov
Senator Ben Nevers 724 Avenue F Bogalusa, LA 70427	(985) 732-6863 neversb@legis.la.gov

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Outdoor Recreation Economy

Did you know that Americans spend $646 billion on outdoor recreation? This includes outdoor equipment, trips, and other travel related expenses according to the Outdoor Industry Association.  In Louisiana consumers spend $15.1 billion which translates into 146,000 direct jobs with $4.6 billion in wages and salaries.

Many outdoor recreation venues are covered under the 2008 Agritourism Limited Liability Law.  For more information click here.

Fun Activities to Try for Summertime

So many school children are entering their final weeks of scheduled activities and many parents are looking for activities for summer fun. Here's an idea to get your summer on track. Buy a bag of starter mix, a set of peat pots and assorted flower seeds. Fill  each peat pot with the starter mix, plant  seeds according to instructions on the packet and then apply water. Set the peat pots in the sun and see what happens. Mark your calendar the day you planted and water and watch for signs of growth each day. Record on your calendar the first day you see any growth.

Within days of sowing the seed,  flowers will sprout. Locate a place in your garden, yard or purchase a large pot to transplant the new flowers in so that they can mature.

When it's time to harvest your flower crop note that on your calendar. For fun count the days it took from  sowing seed to harvest time. Next year use this as a guide for planting.

Sounds simple and it is; it's also a great way to teach your children about horticulture.

For more fun activities in horticulture,  check out our Louisiana 4-H Club House series on plants. Click here.

Farm Weddings

Keller’s Country Weddings in Dickson, TN started in March of 2011. They built a barn just for weddings and in the first year hosted four weddings and have 14 scheduled for the 2014 year.

They offer the bride and groom a choice of three wedding plans: the farm hand package, the farmer’s cousin package and the farmer’s daughter package.

The farm hand package is for the budget minded and includes a barn with benches for the wedding. The farmer’s cousin package includes barn with benches, picnic tables, serving tables, an old wagon and a wooden arch.  The farmer’s daughter’s package is identical to the previous but also adds a 30 x 60 tent and more tables for a larger crowd.

To learn more click here.