I hope you all need some dry weather, because it looks like a pretty tame couple of weeks on the way as long as we can keep the tropics quiet. As it stands now, I don't think they'll be a major issue. It also looks like an actual cold front will roll through early next week! Let's take a look.

We are very pleased to introduce our 2025 Cattlewoman of the Year, Amelia Kent!

Amelia Kent is a fourth-generation farmer who started her own farm immediately after graduating from Wellesley College. Amelia, her husband, Russell, and their daughter Avery, raise cattle through Kent Farms LLC, located in Clinton, Louisiana.

I hope the weather has been treating you well! It looks like we've had enough rain to escape any sort of major droughts in the state, though this recent string of dry days probably has some of you wanting some rain. It looks like we will get plenty in the Friday to Sunday timeframe. Yes that's right, right on the long, Labor Day weekend. 

When more than 140 Louisiana 4-H members, leaders and parents boarded planes bound for Dublin, they were stepping into more than a ten-day international tour—they were embarking on a journey that would shape their agricultural knowledge, life skills and friendships.

The trip, organized through Louisiana 4-H, included stops at dairy farms, beef operations, vegetable farms, an apple orchard, oyster farms and even the famed Irish National Stud horse farm. Each visit offered a chance for students to see how Irish farmers operate in a climate where lush green pastures thrive nearly year-round.

The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation applauds today’s announcement of a fully federally funded domestic production facility for sterile New World Screwworm (NWS) flies to be constructed at Moore Air Base in Texas. This critical investment represents a monumental step forward in protecting American agriculture, livestock health, and rural economies from one of the most devastating livestock pests in history.

It’s time to take a look at what’s going on in the world of weather! Spoiler alert, it looks pretty much like typical summer weather. That means highs generally in the 90s, lows in the 70s, and scattered storms each day. No need to dress that up too much. I do think we will see higher rain chances through Thursday, and then things become a bit more isolated into the weekend. 

The 2026–2030 Louisiana waterfowl zone and split structure will remain unchanged.

At their monthly meeting on Thursday, Aug. 7, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted to keep the current configuration in place.

Immigration changes and labor reforms have created a moving target for farms utilizing H-2A temporary farm labor in 2025, especially for those located in isolated areas or growing specialty crops. 

To maintain legal labor and stay steps ahead of evolving policies, labor consultant Katie Ramagos Nunez shared the practices she and her clients follow on the farm to simplify paperwork and stay audit-ready. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson and his staff visited rice country this week to spend time with members of Louisiana's agriculture industry, including several rice growers and rice industry representatives, and the Speaker’s staff was fortunate to catch rice harvest in action.

Louisiana’s sugarcane growers made their mark in more ways than one at this year’s Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Convention in New Orleans. From important conversations on federal food policy to field-level conservation breakthroughs and a strong showing at the annual awards banquet, it was a week that reminded everyone just how vital sugarcane is to the state’s agricultural community.

The National Hurricane Center has highlighted an area of potential tropical development near the northern Gulf Coast. I don’t think it will develop, but I do expect elevated rain chances from Thursday through Saturday across Louisiana. The highest rain chances and amounts will be in the southern half of the state, but I think everyone will see at least some rain by the time the weekend is over. 

It is roughly 500 miles from the farm fields of north Louisiana to Nashville, Tennessee.

Country star Lainey Wilson has made the trek not only as a fan, but as an artist with her own exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented Friday on a federal court decision that vacates a burdensome and unfair disaggregation labor rule, which is part of the 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate Rule.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement regarding small refinery exemptions, which impact renewable fuel production.

“Renewable fuels have been a tremendous success story for the country and the rural economy. The Renewable Fuel Standard has reduced our country’s dependence on foreign oil, reduced air pollution, increased farm income, and provided good-paying jobs in rural America.”

The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation says farmers might need more federal assistance to make it through 2026.  

Zippy Duvall tells Brownfield “I’m beginning to hear in the last few weeks, especially in the southeast part of the country starting with the Bootheel of Missouri south, it’s time for the USDA and President Trump to start talking about that.”

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it will revise Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) guidelines for manufacturers of heavy trucks and off-road equipment. Manufacturers will be directed to update software in equipment that uses DEF to prevent them from losing power.

Ten innovation-driven enterprises will go head-to-head for the top prize of $100,000 in the 2026 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, continues to encourage agricultural innovation through the Challenge.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) made several important changes to the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z). Most notably, it extended the credit through 2029, providing biofuels producers with an additional two years of investment beyond the original 2027 expiration date. While the credit still has no requirements to pass through any of the credit to farmers and feedstock producers, the OBBBA clarified key provisions related to feedstock eligibility, emissions measurement and credit calculation, which are especially relevant for U.S. farmers. This Market Intel analyzes what the changes to 45Z mean for farmers.

“Earthworms make me happy,” Ryan Britt says as he turns over a handful of dark soil. “You see that?” He points to an earthworm before returning it safely to a field of cover crops. “It didn’t look like this 20 years ago.” Twenty years ago, Ryan and his dad set out to restore the health of the soil on their family farm with regenerative agriculture practices. It’s a journey that continues today.

USDA’s just-released July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report incorporates updated planted and harvested acreage figures from the June 30 Acreage report. This Market Intel analyzes both the June Acreage and July WASDE reports and explains what the updates mean for U.S. agriculture.

Farmers have until July 25 to submit nominations for the 2026 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest, which comes with cash prizes and bragging rights. This is the eighth year of the contest, supported by Nestlé Purina PetCare, which celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers.

The grand prize winner – Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year – will win a year’s worth of Purina Pro Plan dog food and $5,000 in prize money.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Senate passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Farm Bureau applauds the U.S. Senate for passing the reconciliation package. Farmers and ranchers are the foundation of America’s food supply chain, and they need the certainty that this legislation will provide. Improvements to farm safety net programs that reflect today’s agricultural economy and maintaining important tax provisions will directly benefit farm and ranch families.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation, with support from Farm Credit, is seeking applicants for the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence. The award recognizes U.S. military veterans or service members for excellence in farming or agriculture and positively impacting local communities.

The honoree will receive a $10,000 cash prize plus reimbursement in travel and other expenses incurred for him/her and one guest to attend the American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, Jan. 9-14, 2026.

Families celebrating the Fourth of July holiday continue to find high prices at the grocery store, based on the 2025 American Farm Bureau Federation annual marketbasket survey. An Independence Day cookout will cost $70.92 for 10 guests this year.

This is down only 30 cents from last year’s record-high cost. At $7.09 per person, 2025 will be the second-highest cost since Farm Bureau began the survey in 2013.