To post events of interest to the regional forestry community, please go to the 'Submit News' page and submit with the headline "Calendar". Events attracting loggers, foresters, forest landowners, forest products manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and sales agents are welcome.
Tomato & Cucumber Workshop
Friendship Baptist Church,
Doherty's Tomatoes, Gulf Coast Blueberries, and The LSU
AgCenter will be having its annual garden workshop
featuring tomatoes and cucumbers at Friendship Baptist
Church, 1300 Highway 26, DeRidder, LA. Saturday, March 6
The event will be from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Speakers
include: Sara Doherty, the Tomato Lady, of Doherty's
Tomatoes, who will be talking about growing delicious
tomatoes, and Tom Avant, of Gulf Coast Blueberries, who
will discuss growing nutritious cucumbers. Keith Hawkins,
County Agent, with the LSU AgCenter will be moderator.
This event is a community service and has no charge. For
more information, contact Pastor Joe Poole, 337-375-2674
or Keith Hawkins at 337-463-7006 or email at khawkins@agcenter.lsu.edu
Seminar for commercial fruit and vegetable growers
The LSU AgCenter will
conduct a seminar for commercial fruit and vegetable
growers Saturday, March 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the
Caddo Parish extension office, 2408 E. 70th St. in
Shreveport, LA.
The educational program is for commercial growers at all
levels, both start-up and experienced
The program will include presentations on weed control,
vegetable varieties, soil improvement and scheduling for
season-long production.
A marketing panel of produce buyers - chefs, market
managers and buyers - will answer questions about buyers'
needs. The event is free and open to the public. To
register or for more information, contact Denyse Cummins,
LSU AgCenter horticulturist,
at 318-698-0010.
Storytelling programs for youngsters
The Louisiana 4-H Museum in
Avoyelles Parish is offering storytelling programs for
youngsters age 3 on up the first and third Saturdays from
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. each month, according to Rose Anne St.
Romain, the director.
The March
6 and 20
program topic is "Honestly Speaking." Future
programs will tie in with 4-H projects, seasons and
holidays, St. Romain said.
Children age 10 and under must be accompanied by an
adult. Saturday admission to the museum is $1 per person.
The museum will remain open following the storytelling
until 2 p.m.
Normal museum hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Admission is $3 per person, with children
under age 3 admitted free. Group tours may be scheduled
by calling 318-964-2245 or e-mail at 4hmuseum@agcenter.lsu.edu
The 1,100-square-foot museum, which is located in the
same building as the Avoyelles Parish LSU AgCenter and
Southern University Extension Office and the Avoyelles
Commission of Tourism, includes memorabilia from the
100-year history of Louisiana 4-H, which began in 1908.
Exhibits include: - A mural of milestones in 4-H history,
starting with the first "Corn Club" in 1908; -
A kiosk featuring members of the 4-H Hall of Fame, which
now includes 112 members; - 4-H emblem collage with many
items from around the state; - Louisiana 4-H on Parade, a
3-D diorama of projects and programs; - Frankie the 4-H
Fox, an animatronic puppet show.
LSU AgCenter Forestry Forums
LSU AgCenter Forestry
Forums are scheduled at both ends of Louisiana during
March. The 26th annual Ark-La-Tex forum will be held March 11 at the Holiday Inn Financial Plaza
in Shreveport. The 21st annual Florida Parishes forum is
set March
19 at the
University Center, Southeast Louisiana University,
Hammond.
The Ark-La-Tex forum announces a program built around the
theme "Keep Steady and Stay Ready," to
capitalize on new opportunities in the forest industry.
Lead-off presenter at the Shreveport meeting is Matthew
Pelkki, professor of natural resources economics at
University of Arkansas at Monticello. His topic is
"Surviving the Wood Products Depression."
Louisiana Forestry Association Executive Director Buck
Vandersteen will review current issues in the industry.
During the afternoon session, topics include:
Landowner water issues, by Bill Branch, director of
Sparta Ground Water Commission, Ruston.
Tax update, by Paul Spillers, tax attorney with Theus,
Grisham, Davis & Leigh of Monroe.
National perspective on timber market, by Bill Hubbard,
regional extension forester, University of Georgia at
Athens.
Ricky Kilpatrick, area forestry agent, LSU AgCenter based
at Benton in Bossier Parish, coordinates the annual
forum.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Registration is $20 per
person, to Ark-La-Tex Forestry Forum, P.O. Box 370,
Benton LA 71006-0370, phone 318-965-2326, email bossier@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Florida Parishes Forum
Theme for the Florida Parishes
forum on March
16 is
"Alternative Income Opportunities - Woody Biomass
and Wildlife."
The morning session will feature Robert Barham, secretary
of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries,
and Dave Moreland, biologist, addressing wildlife
management for landowners.
Dr. Rich Vlosky of LSU AgCenter product development
center, will present an overview of wood-based bioenergy,
followed by a report on Point Bio Energy's wood pellet
plant in Baton Rouge by CEO Bill New.
In the afternoon, Patrick Babineaux will discuss Farm
Service Agency's crop assistance program, followed by a
discussion of wildlife leases for landowners, Don Reed of
LSU AgCenter. Dr. Mike Dunn of LSU AgCenter will discuss
potential impacts of new woody biomass markets.
Registration is $25 before March 11, to Brian Chandler,
Forestry Forum, 4419 Idlewild Road, Clinton LA 70722,
phone 225-683-3101, or email bchandler@agcenter.lsu.edu.
The sixth annual Louisiana Food Processors Conference
The sixth annual Louisiana
Food Processors Conference is scheduled for March 17-18 at the Energy, Coast and
Environment Building on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.
Geared for people with an interest in Louisiana's food
processing industry, the two-day event sponsored by the
LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Economic Development will
include technical sessions and seminars by industry
representatives, organizers said.
"Value-added processing represents one of the most
important economic development segments of the Louisiana
economy," said Dr. John W. Finley of LSU AgCenter's
Department of Food Science.
"The potential for future growth is
staggering," Finley said about the importance of the
conference. "Louisiana is the gateway to global
markets essential for international trade."
The conference will include presentations by Liz Sloan,
owner of Sloan Trends Inc., and Chris Rhynalds with
ConAgra Foods. Dr. Mark McLellan with the Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences will speak on
university/industry partnerships as part of the Institute
of Food Technologists Distinguished Lectureship Series.
Conference registration will begin at 12:30 p.m. on March
17 and will conclude at 4 p.m. March 18. The program will
provide information on new regulations in the areas of
food safety and security, marketing challenges, global
trade, required processing training, emerging pathogens
and record keeping, according to conference organizers.
The registration fee is $125 before March 1 and $135
after that date. The fee includes refreshments at all
breaks, a reception on March 17 and a continental
breakfast and lunch on March 18.
Registration can be completed online at www.lsuagcenter.com/foodscience -- and clicking on the link under
extension and outreach. More information is available by
contacting Ashley Gutierrez or Stephanie Jones at
225-578-5207.
Paper2010
Paper 2010, an industry
gathering to discuss issues facing manufacturers and
distributors, is set March 21-23 in New York City.
Paper2010 will "combine the strength of
manufacturers and the reach of distributors to provide
paper industry leaders with more thoughtful sessions on
the trends shaping out industry," promoters state.
Registration is open at www.paper2010.com . The event is based at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Towers.
Two-day conference on wood-based biofuels
A two-day conference on wood-based
biofuels, biomass and energy has been announced for April 22-23, 2010, coordinated
by the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center.
Dr. Rchard Vlosky, Director and Professor at the Center,
says, "Every day we are bombarded with news
articles, press releases, and emails informing us of new
developments in biofuels, biomass and bioenergy.
Following up on the highly successful LSU AgCenter's
Natural Resources Symposium in July 2009, for this
conference, we focus on two areas: Wood, and
Louisiana."
A broad coalition of agencies is cooperating in the
April, 2010 conference, including the Forest Products
Development Center, LSU School of Renewable Natural
Resources, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station,
Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, LSU AgCenter,
Louisiana Economic Development, USDA Forest Service
Southern Research Station, and Louisiana Forestry
Association.
Conference speakers will discuss a wide spectrum of
issues, ranging from fundamentals of wood-based bio to
applied, real-world cases and examples, according to Dr.
Vlosky. Target audience includes investors,
entrepreneurs, forest land managers and owners, pulp and
paper industry professionals, policy makers, academicians
and others interested or involved in the emerging area of
biofuels and bioenergy.
Moderators for the conference include Dr. Vlosky, Dr.
Todd Shupe, professor, Louisiana Forest Products
DEvelopemtn Center, and director, Louisiana Forest
Products Durability Laboratory at the LSU AgCenter, and
Dr. Michael Blazer, LSU AgCenter.
Non-student registration fees are $75 before April 15,
and $100 after April 15. Student registration is $20
before April 15, $25 after April 15.
The event will be held at the Ione E. Burden Conference
Center Burden Plantation and Rural Life Museum, LSU
AgCenter in Baton Rouge.
For information, contact Dr. Vlosky, Louisiana Forest
Products Development Center, 225-578-4527, email rvlosky@agcenter.lsu.edu
.
Forest Family Fun Day
Volunteers and exhibitors are gearing up
for the 2010 "Forest Family Fun Day and Equipment
Show" on Saturday, May 8
at the George Henderson Jr. Expo Center in Lufkin, Texas.
The event is produced by the Texas Forestry Association
and the Texas Logging Council. Thousands of dollars will
be awarded in several contests, including log loading,
skidder driving, best looking log truck, chain saw
competition, and truck driving skills. Food booths and
other special events will be open all day.
2010 Teachers' Conservation Institute
• Lufkin TX
Applications are being taken for the 2010 Teachers'
Conservation Institute. Sponsored by Texas Forestry
Association, the Teachers' Conservation Institute (TCI)
is a week-long summer workshop which uses the forest as a
theme for environmental education.
Activities are led by foresters, educators, natural
resource conservationists and industry professionals.
Teachers will receive 45 hours of continuing education
(SBEC) credit. TCI meets the requirements of Professional
Development Appraisal System, and graduate credit is
available.
Sessions will be held June
27-July 2, and July 11-16, 2010.
Registration is $150 and includes all teaching materials
and instruction, food, lodging and transportation during
the workshop. Participants are responsible for travel to
and from the Piney Woods Conservation Center near
Broaddus, Texas ( www.sfasu.edu/forestry/pwcc
).
To register for TCI, call (936) 632-TREE or download the
registration form at www.texasforestry.org
. Texas Forestry Association is the non-profit trade
association representing over 3,000 members who grow,
manage, harvest and process forest resources.
Sportsman's Expo
Lake D'Arbonne Country Sportsman's Expo is
set for Sept.
24-25, 2010 at
Farmerville, Louisiana. Hours are 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, and
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature vendors
and displays of hunting, fishing, and camping gear;
demonstrations by skilled outdoorsmen; "trophy
wall" of game mounts; kids' climbing wall;
interactive activities; boats and RVs; door prizes and
raffle.
The Expo is sponsored by Union Parish Chamber of
Commerce. Admission: $3 for ages 12 and up. See www.DarbonneSportsmansExpo.com
, or call 318-368-3947.
TFA annual meeting
Texas Forestry Association announced its annual meeting for October 20-22, 2010, at Hotel Fredonia in Nacogdoches