Sign Placement for Roadside Stands

I recently read an article entitled, "Roadside Stands," by  Renee M. Lloyd, James R. Nelson, Daniel S. Tilley. Although the article was written in 1995, its contents are still useful for today's road side operations.

The table below provides measurements at appropriate distances to help insure easy reading of signs. 

Distance (feet)	Letter  Width (inches)	Letter Height (inches)	Number of words at speed 30	Number of words at speed 40	Number  of words at speed 50	Number  of words at speed 60
50	3/8	1-3/4	4	2	1	0
100	3/4	3-1/2	8	5	4	3
200	1-3/8	7	15	11	8	6
300	2-3/16	11	22	16	13	10
400	2-7/8	14	30	22	17	14
500	3-1/2	17-1/2	38	28	22	18

What do you need to know before you can host a group on your farm?

What do you need to know before you can host a group on your farm?  This is a question I am often asked.

 I recently ran across an article entitled, "A FARMER'S GUIDE TO HOSTING FARM VISITS FOR CHILDREN."

This guide was produced with a grant from the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP).  The guide was written by Marc Lavine and edited by Betsy Bigelow- Teller.

Click here to read.

USDA Announces Programs to Conserve Sensitive Land and Help Beginning Farmers

It's time to sign up for "CRP," says Secretary Vilsack. This programs assists farmers and ranchers in helping to prevent soil erosion, improve water quality and restore wildlife habitat. To learn more, click here.

Add Beauty to Your Agritourism Landscape by Planting Crape Myrtles

New varieties of crape myrtles are currently available in abundance.

Developers have introduced new varieties over the past few years with an emphasis on smaller growth habits, dark foliage colors, earlier bloom and more.

In Louisiana, crape myrtles are one of the most widely planted trees and are the main tree for flowering in landscapes from late spring until early fall.

The LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station has begun a landscape trial that includes most of the recently introduced crape myrtle varieties. These collections include the Early Bird, Razzle Dazzle, Enduring Summer, Delta, Barnyard, Magic and Ebony, also known as the Black Diamond, series in addition to several other varieties. Click here to read more..

Imahara's Botanical Garden

Mr. Imahara shown in bottom right with hat is explaining the concept of "sight planning" to members of the Louisiana County Agents Association that recently met in St. Francisville. We toured Imahara's Botanical Garden and it was a treat! Mr. Imahara and his family did a wonderful job of explaining the creation and meaning behind the garden and he also talked about plant varieties, care and maintenance. It is a must see. You can follow them on their blog: www.imaharasbotanicalgarden.blogspot.com 

The 2014 Spring/Summer hours are Saturdays from 10am to 4pm and Sundays from 1-4 pm, each weekend March-July. Call 225-635-6001 or e-mail: waltimahara@gmail.com for more information.

Gardening is a Fun Agritourism Activity

As part of your agritourism operation include a garden. Gardening is a fun activity that allows children to learn about the food they eat. Learning how to plant, grow and harvest requires time, patience and knowledge. Dr. Fontenot has just released a newsletter for school gardeners that has information you can apply to your agritourism operations. Take a look, click here.

Hammond Workshop Planned for Women in Agriculture

Annie's Project will host its third workshop in Hammond 

July 17-August 21, 2014

Registration deadline is July 12, 2014

Topics covered in the workshop include:

- human resources and time management

- business plans, property ownership and leases
- financial documentation, retirement, estate planning and using spreadsheets
-risk management, insurance and the agritourism limited liability law
-financial records and how to interpret them.

To register call Deborah Cross-Young at  225-281-9470 or e-mail  dcross@agcenter.lsu.edu. 

Log on to their Facebook page for more information.