When Leah Carter visits rural towns across Louisiana in her role as the LSU AgCenter’s community and economic development specialist, she makes it a point to ask residents what issues they believe are holding their communities back.
Federal agriculture research and crop policy remain major issues as lawmakers continue discussions surrounding the 2026 farm bill and USDA priorities.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on Bureau of Land Management actions to update grazing regulations and rescind the misguided Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.
Congressmen Clay Higgins (R-LA) and Troy Carter (D-LA) penned a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer urging a Section 301 investigation into unfair practices affecting trade in seafood products.
Louisiana congressmen are leading an effort to investigate foreign seafood importers engaging in harmful trade practices.
Reps. Clay Higgins, R-La., and Troy Carter, D-La., sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer urging a Section 301 investigation into unfair practices affecting trade in seafood products.
Rice fields do more than feed people—they help fuel one of nature's greatest journeys. Along major migratory flyways, flooded fields act as surrogate wetlands, offering critical resting and feeding grounds for shorebirds and waterfowl. In Louisiana, rice farmer Joseph Arcaneaux manages his fields in ways that benefit birds without disrupting his operation.
The 2026 Louisiana black bear hunting season will take place from December 5th to the 20th; and this year, bear hunting will be allowed in all seven of the state’s black bear management areas. LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks says 42 tags will be tentatively issued for the hunt.
Cotton continues establishing new price highs again and again. That was last week’s first sentence, and it still applies. After posting a minor selloff at mid-week, prices charged higher at week’s end as both the old crop July futures contract and the new crop December contract settled the week near the weekly highs, and near the life of contract high for the December contract.
An extension ag economist says this week’s meeting between President Trump and China’s president could significantly impact U.S. agriculture.
Congress returns this week with major agriculture issues dominating the agenda, including fertilizer costs, biofuel policy and farm economic concerns.
The Rice Delphacid (RD) is an invasive planthopper that feeds on rice and other grasses. It was first recorded in Texas in 2015 and has since become a recurring rice pest in Texas rice belt. In Louisiana, RD was detected in July 2025 (first record in >70 years), with initial finds in Tensas Parish and later detections on ratoon rice across the state. This factsheet summarizes key identification and biology, typical damage symptoms, and guidance for scouting.
President Trump is considering issuing an executive order that would allow more beef imports at lower tariff rates, but increasing imports could have long-term impacts and fails to address the underlying issues facing America’s ranchers. American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the issue in the latest Market Intel.
The Louisiana Department of Wildife and Fisheries is now accepting public comment on a proposed recreational alligator season this fall.
Across Louisiana, school gardens are increasingly used as outdoor classrooms, providing students with hands-on learning in science, nutrition and food systems. To support this work, the LSU AgCenter is hosting its annual Farm to School Garden Leadership Workshop later this month in Baton Rouge, offering educators training to build and sustain school gardens while integrating them into classroom instruction.
A sprawling new soybean processing facility that opened Thursday in Shelby County is being hailed by agricultural leaders and state officials as a milestone in the growing race to secure domestic supplies of plant-based protein, as global food manufacturers seek new ways to meet rising demand for high-protein ingredients
Federal News Network's Jory Heckman reported that "for the second time in seven years, USDA is looking to move D.C.-based employees at the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to Kansas City. USDA relocated hundreds of ERS and NIFA positions to Kansas City in 2019, but about 85% of impacted employees quit their jobs or retired, rather than relocate."
USDA is here to help you prepare for and recover from hurricanes and related tropical weather activity. The 2026 hurricane season begins on June 1, and USDA is asking producers to prepare their operations for potential impacts and explore recovery resources.
Louisiana is set to once again nearly double the number of black bears hunters can legally bag starting later this year.
The number of bear tags issued to hunters will increase from 26 in 2025 to 42 this year, according to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission announced Thursday. Hunters are still limited to one bear each, so the increased count clears the way for more people to pursue the animals.
U.S. grain export sales were mixed in the latest weekly report from the USDA. Soybean sales fell to their lowest level of the marketing year that began September 1.
A forecast model shows storm activity from Sunday morning through Tuesday morning. The Storm Prediction Center has placed northern Louisiana under a Slight Risk for severe weather Sunday, while much of southern Louisiana is under a Marginal Risk. Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible, especially in the north, with damaging winds and large hail as the main threats. Tornadoes are not currently expected in Louisiana.
Louisiana is getting its first recreational alligator hunting season after Gov. Jeff Landry signed the bill into law, State Sen. Robert Allain III (R-Franklin) announced Thursday.
The U.S. agriculture industry is still digesting the details of the EPA’s recently released draft fungicide strategy.
Richard Gupton with the Ag Retailers Association tells Brownfield the strategy, which is 163 pages long, appears to align with EPA’s broader efforts on pesticide regulations related to the Endangered Species Act.
Growing scrutiny of the meatpacking industry and rising Brazilian beef imports are fueling a new debate over competition and U.S. food security.
Arkansas’ rice crop this year is set to be the smallest in nearly 50 years. Drought, higher input costs, and lower commodity prices are among the factors that are driving down this year.
There’s one pest, however, that has plagued rice farmers since the 1880s — the rice stink bug. The insect reportedly causes up to $20 million worth of damage to rice crops in Arkansas each year, according to AgInnovation. In heavily infested fields, yields can drop by up to 10%.
Listen to the latest markets and headlines in Louisiana Agriculture on The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture Radio Network.