INNOVATION IN EXTENSION: Louisiana State University

The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Randy Price

Main contact job title / position: Assistant Professor Extension

Main contact number: 318-473-6520

Main contact email address:  rprice@agcenter.lsu.edu

Innovation name: UAS for Agriculture

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: Opportunities to use unmanned aerial systems for improvement of Louisiana Farming Operations

Notes from phone interview:

One's in Ag Engineering with unmanned drones that we're using to trying to begin to start being able to document crop damage, crop potential, ewe potential. We're using drones.


The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Rodrigo Diaz

Main contact job title / position: Assistant Professon

Main contact number: 225-578-1634

Main contact email address:  rdiaz@agcenter.lsu.edu

Innovation name: invasive species weed management

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: management of giant salvania with  biological control insects

Notes from phone interview:

One of them is using a natural vector, an insect to control an invasive wheat species that is virtually leading some of our lakes in North Louisiana uninhabitable. It's taking over that much. We've been doing some work with the insect that is a natural predator to that invasive wheat species.


The following describes an innovation.
Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Monica Stewart

Main contact job title / position: Extension Agent

Main contact number: 318-428-3571

Main contact email address:  mstweart@agcenter.lsu.edu

Innovation name: Healthy Communities

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: Increased physical activity and reduce obesity through nutrition utilizing a community approach

Notes from phone interview:

The Healthy Family, the obesity program is a collaboration between our Pennington Biomedical Research Center here in Baton Rouge and LSU and the Southern Ag Center. It's about involving the community to make change, rather than just the adult or the child, or the family. It's the whole community we're focusing on to make changes in their eating and well being physical activity.


The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Ashley Mullens

Main contact job title / position: Extension Associate

Main contact number: 225-578-7415

Main contact email address:  awmullens@agcenter.lsu.edu

Innovation name: Youth Wetlands Education Program

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: Educate youth and adults on coastal wetlands issues through school enrichment program and wetlands planting

Notes from phone interview:

The 4-H Program that we put there and the Youth Wetlands program that we do. We reach 100,000 kids each year with at least six to 10 hours of instruction in school enrichment about the importance of coastal wetlands and how to preserve them. How we can do plantings to enrich the coastal wetlands. We lose about a football field worth of wetlands every two hours in Louisiana. Very important that young people understand the urgency we have with restoring those wetlands.

It depends. The Youth Wetlands program, the 4-H program, is a half a million dollar grant from our Department of Natural Resources. They have a branch of their department that is tasked with youth education. They don't have a delivery mode. We have a 4-H agent in every parish so we have a delivery mode to get it out to every parish in Louisiana.


The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Kenny Sharpe

Main contact job title / position: County Extension Agent

Main contact number: 225-686-3020

Main contact email address:  ksharpe@agcenter.lsu.edu

Innovation name: Master Cattleman

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey: Livestock producer education for Best Management Practices

Notes from phone interview:

The last one we put is a Best Management Practices for our cattle producers, which is the largest animal production in Louisiana. What we try to teach there is best management practices concerning fertilization reducing runoff, those types of things that are going to make our beef cattle producers good stewards of the environment.