We are now about 5 days out from a potentially impactful winter storm that could affect the entire state. Here’s what we know so far.

First and foremost, it will get cold. Very cold. We could easily see lows in the teens in the northern third of Louisiana, with a hard freeze possible to the coast. There will be at least 3 nights where we see conditions like that, and it’s possible we could see even colder conditions if we end up seeing significant snow and ice.

Congress recently passed a bill with very strong bipartisan support that includes a three-month continuing resolution funding the government to this March, plus a one-year farm bill extension, natural disaster aid, and agricultural economic assistance. Thank you to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents my district here in Louisiana, for avoiding a government shutdown and looking out for the interests of farmers nationwide. 

Speaker Johnson’s staffers visited my farm last year, and it meant a lot that they heard what I had to say.

Farm Bureau farmer and rancher members play an important role in our communities and our organization by serving on governing boards and committees at local, state and national levels. Several newly appointed volunteers will provide leadership beginning in 2025 as members of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Promotion & Education and Young Farmers & Ranchers committees.

Duvall announced the appointment of the following members to the YF&R Committee for the 2025-2027 term beginning in March: Cleveland Jackson, Georgia, (beef cattle); Scot Schwieterman, Kansas (alfalfa hay, row crops, cereal grains); Rachel Duncan, Louisiana (soybeans, beef cattle, cut flowers); Cora Okkema, Michigan (dairy cattle); Dustin and Katie Wiese, Minnesota (beef cattle, hay, corn, sorghum, oats); Tommy Salisbury, Oklahoma (soybeans, milo, wheat, beef cattle); and Jonathan Quigley, Washington (tree fruit).

As you may have heard, Congress was finally successful late into Friday night in passing a Continuing Resolution that included many priorities we worked very hard to achieve. The House passed the measure 366-34-1 with all Louisiana members voting in favor. The Senate passed the resolution 85-11, Cassidy supporting and Kennedy opposing. 

Congress appears to have failed to reach a consensus Wednesday on a Continuing Resolution. 

We're grateful to you, our grassroots members, for taking the time let your representatives in Washington, D.C. know Louisiana agriculture cannot be ignored. 

This year, you can host a Thanksgiving feast for ten for relatively little money.

“In Louisiana, that’s going to cost you on average $45.84, which is still $3 lower than it was last year,” says Avery Davidson with the Louisiana Farm Bureau.

Furthermore, that’s considerably less than the national average.

In Baton Rouge on November 22, 2024, the Louisiana Legislature wrapped up a special session focused on tax reform, culminating in the approval of a substantial tax package. This legislative action is set to reshape the state’s tax landscape with significant reductions in some areas, increases in others, and the establishment of a permanent stipend for teachers.

However, the implementation of these changes is contingent upon voter approval of a crucial constitutional amendment in the upcoming election.

Although grocery prices remain high historically nationwide, they have dropped for a second year in a row.   

Louisiana consumers will spend even less this Thanksgiving. According to a statewide sample of prices for the 2024 American Farm Bureau Federation Thanksgiving Dinner Price Survey, Louisiana residents should expect to spend $12.24 less than the national average for a classic Thanksgiving dinner for ten people.  

Cars pack a gravel lot outside Hope Ministries, a Methodist nonprofit situated in the 70805 zip code, where the per capita yearly income is $18,340. The organization’s mission is to prevent homelessness and promote dignity.

A week before Thanksgiving, residents wait patiently for their turn at the organization's Client Choice Food Pantry.

Agriculture plays a vital role in Louisiana, contributing over $4.8 billion in agricultural products from 25,006 farms across nearly 8 million acres, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture.

Recognizing the industry’s importance, Louisiana offers specialty agriculture license plates as a unique way for residents to show support for the state’s farming community while directly funding agricultural education initiatives.

This week, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) visited with farmers in Port Allen and Jennings, to discuss the next Farm Bill and what Louisiana’s farmers need to continue feeding our state and the world.

“Our farmers and fishermen produce the best sugarcane, rice and seafood in the world,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It’s my goal to protect them against unfair, foreign competition, to keep crop insurance affordable, and to prevent the cost of farming from rising. I appreciate being able to meet with Louisiana farmers and work together to reach these goals in the next Farm Bill.”

Congresswoman Julia Letlow joined Congressman Trent Kelly in introducing the Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation (FARM) Act of 2024. This legislation addresses the urgent need for immediate economic support for Louisiana farmers facing unprecedented challenges as they approach the crucial lending season for the 2025 crop year. 

The FARM Act will give farmers one-time assistance payments and will be a critical resource for farmers in helping them pay down debt relative to the 2024 crop year and assist them in obtaining financing for the 2025 crop year.

USDA recently announced that a final Federal Milk Marketing Order decision was approved by dairy farmers and cooperatives across all 11 orders through separate referenda conducted within each order. AFBF has called for changes to the Federal Milk Marketing Orders dating back to 2019.

“We’re grateful that USDA listened to not only our calls but also calls from the broader dairy industry to switch back to the ‘higher of’ Class I milk formula, increase Class I differentials, improve cheese price discovery and update milk composition factors,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.

Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, which includes timberland, remains a widely debated and often controversial topic, fueled by concerns about the implications of foreign investments — especially those from nations viewed as adversarial to the U.S. Since our previous analysis, Foreign Investment in U.S. Ag Land – The Latest Numbers, two additional years of data — 2022 and 2023 — have become available.

This article updates the trends in foreign ownership, revealing a 1.58-million-acre increase in foreign-held agricultural land between 2022 and 2023, driven primarily by investments linked to renewable energy projects.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the final USDA poultry tournament rule under the Packers & Stockyards Act.

“Farm Bureau appreciates USDA’s commitment to bringing greater fairness to farmers who raise poultry under the tournament system.”

In 2022, 39% of agricultural land was rented – a proportion that has remained relatively stable for over 50 years. When deciding how to acquire land, rising farm real estate values can be a valuable asset or an extra hit to growing production expenses. Farmers and ranchers who operate a mix of owned and rented land make up over half of agricultural land in production and are affected by both sides of land value spikes.

The new year always feels like a fresh start, a time to plan for the months ahead and think about what needs to get done. For farmers, it’s a chance to think about our upcoming planting season, what we want our herds to look like or even what projects around the farm we plan to take on. It’s also a chance to look beyond our farms and look toward what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for American agriculture in 2025.

One looming challenge for agriculture this year is our projected trade deficit. According to the USDA’s latest outlook, we are expecting a $45.5 billion agricultural trade deficit for 2025.

Everyone loves a sequel — don’t they? Well, ready or not, we’re gearing up for a second showdown between the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). A three-day strike last fall (Oct. 1-3) delivered a tentative agreement for a 62% base wage increase for hourly dockworkers (from $39 to $63 per hour) over six years, as well as an extension of the master contract to allow more time for final negotiations. However, with that extension set to expire on Jan. 15, the union could reignite tensions by calling a new work stoppage, potentially disrupting most non-bulk shipping at U.S. East Coast and Gulf ports once again.

This past year marked my second full year serving as executive vice president at the American Farm Bureau Federation and it has been inspiring to see our organization flourish as we serve farmers and ranchers.

Although our grassroots leaders have been key to the federation for more than 100 years, in 2024, we put a special spotlight on them as we celebrated “The Year of the County President.”

Farm Bureau farmer and rancher members play an important role in our communities and our organization by serving on governing boards and committees at local, state and national levels. Several newly appointed volunteers will provide leadership beginning in 2025 as members of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Promotion & Education and Young Farmers & Ranchers committees.

Duvall announced the appointment of the following members to the YF&R Committee for the 2025-2027 term beginning in March: Cleveland Jackson, Georgia, (beef cattle); Scot Schwieterman, Kansas (alfalfa hay, row crops, cereal grains); Rachel Duncan, Louisiana (soybeans, beef cattle, cut flowers); Cora Okkema, Michigan (dairy cattle); Dustin and Katie Wiese, Minnesota (beef cattle, hay, corn, sorghum, oats); Tommy Salisbury, Oklahoma (soybeans, milo, wheat, beef cattle); and Jonathan Quigley, Washington (tree fruit).

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the ping pong of court orders that ended with a court-ordered reprieve from Treasury Department reporting requirements for many small businesses.

Earlier this month, a federal court halted the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. On Monday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reinstated the Jan. 1, 2025, deadline.

The Corporate Transparency Act, passed in 2021, has proven to be a huge headache for farmers. as the deadline to file reports with the Department of Treasury Looms, we brought in an expert to discuss the situation.

American Farm Bureau Associate Economist, Samantha Ayoub spoke with RFD-TV’s own Suzanne Alexander on what businesses are subject to CTA registration, the deadline to file, and the recent back-and-forth in the courts.

A last-minute court of appeals ruling could put tens of thousands of farmers in legal crosshairs for failing to register their businesses with the federal government. Farmers who operate corporations and limited liability companies are once again required to file Beneficial Ownership Information with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) or face stiff fines or jail time.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on a United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) panel ruling that Mexico’s ban on American-grown biotech corn is a violation of the trade agreement.

“Farm Bureau applauds the USMCA panel decision regarding Mexico’s actions to ban biotech corn for human consumption and animal feed. The panel affirmed what AFBF and America’s farmers have emphasized all along – biotech corn is safe and decisions must be based on science, not politics.”