The LSU AgCenter and the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate LSU AgCenter’s organic research garden project, located on property near the convention center. On hand for the event were Dr. Rogers Leonard, Associate Vice Chancellor and Program Leader for Plant and Soil Sciences, LSU AgCenter; Dr. Bobby Fletcher, Jr., Assistant Director, LSU AgCenter; convention center officials and representatives from the local urban farming community.

For the next two years, research on Bella Rosa tomatoes will be conducted on the one-quarter acre plot to evaluate the effectiveness and economics of organic fertilizer versus conventional fertilizer used in vegetable gardening, to monitor disease, and to study the microbial qualities of irrigation water over the growing season.

The tomatoes will be harvested in June and a preliminary report of the findings will be presented at the 2nd Annual Farm to Table International Symposium at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center August 2-4, 2014. This annual event brings together the leading practitioners in the burgeoning farm-to-table movement to explore the cultivation, distribution, and consumption of food and drink sourced locally. The event is presented by the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in partnership with the SoFAB Institute and the LSU AgCenter. For more information on the Farm to Table International Symposium, click here.