The Louisiana Drought Team, in collective partnership with the USDM national authors, the NWS, and the LDAF, has continued to downgrade conditions across the Bayou State with this week's USDM update ... as 'normal' spring rains fail to develop.
Northern Louisiana should prepare for occasional strong-to-severe t-storms on Friday evening ... but do note that the NWS timeline has the threat potentially arriving as early as the mid-afternoon. A severe weather Watch may be issued for the region.
Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-01) today led 16 of his Congressional colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, requesting broad-based, rice specific Section 301 trade investigations against countries unfairly harming our rice producers.
Louisiana farmers are facing a tough start to the 2026 season, with early pest pressure in cotton, emerging concerns like corn leafhopper, and significant crop damage from a mid-March freeze that forced widespread corn replanting—estimated at 60–70% of acres. Dry conditions and rising irrigation costs are adding pressure, while proper cover crop management remains important to limit pests. Despite setbacks, soybean acreage is expected to increase, and early signs show soybeans may recover from freeze damage if conditions improve.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says it will require a significant effort from the administration to help improve fertilizer costs in the short term.
As spring conditions continue to favor insect activity, the LSU AgCenter Field Crop IPM Team conducted an insect pest survey in 15 parishes to document insect pests present in vegetation adjacent to row crop fields. Using sweepnet, we sampled multiple vegetation types (including rye, oats, clovers, hairy vetch, and mixed grasses) at 39 sites.
This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts.
The LSU AgCenter participates as a member of the S-1069 group (a national group to promote remote sensing with drones across the country) and we partly contributed to this handbook, so feel free to download.
More than 130 head of cattle passed through the show ring April 10–11 at the Florida Parishes Arena in Amite during the Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Youth Livestock Show. The annual event brings young exhibitors from across the state together to showcase their livestock while gaining insight into the agriculture industry.
This year’s crawfish season is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Farmers are in the middle of peak harvest, but the catch so far has been average, with several challenges impacting production.
Mixed weather and shifting input costs are shaping planting decisions this season, especially for farmers forced to replant.
The Trump administration’s top ag trade official says the tariff policy has been a game changer for the industry.
Congressional leaders are signaling renewed momentum on a long-delayed farm bill as pressure builds from agricultural groups ahead of the 2026 planting season.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) announced a significant new investment aimed at strengthening export opportunities for American agriculture. Through the America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP), a $285 million initiative, USDA/FAS is providing additional support to help U.S. farmers, ranchers, and producers expand their reach in international markets and remain competitive globally. As part of this effort, USA Rice was awarded $5 million in funding to further its work promoting U.S.-grown rice abroad.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is leaning into a peculiar argument: placing bets in online prediction markets is just another form of commodities investing.
House Republican leaders are shifting into high gear to boost support for the farm bill ahead of next week’s planned vote on the package, according to a whip notice obtained by Politico on Monday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has officially launched its first-ever Office of Seafood, marking a historic moment for commercial fishermen, aquaculture producers, and seafood processors across the country. The announcement was made April 15 by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins alongside Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan and other federal officials.
It’s rather easy to spot a crawfish pond in Southwest Louisiana, especially Jeff Davis Parish, where you’ll find over 80 thousand acres of Louisiana’s rice and crawfish fields.
Louisiana State University AgCenter researchers have confirmed the presence of a new invasive insect in Louisiana sugarcane fields. The pasture mealybug was detected in Vermilion and Iberia parishes late last year, raising concerns among growers, ranchers and researchers.
The Farm Credit Council is among 338 agricultural groups urging swift passage of Farm Bill 2.0, recently approved with bipartisan support by the House Agriculture Committee. The coalition sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and all House members, emphasizing the need for updated policy.
Cover crops are an important off-season tool for farmers looking to improve soil fertility, reduce erosion and manage nitrogen, all while creating an ecosystem for pollinators and other beneficial insects to thrive.
However, they can also be a “green bridge” for undesirable pests like the redbanded stinkbug.
The Trump administration is preparing to direct tens of billions of dollars from tariffs and renegotiated trade deals toward strengthening domestic fertilizer production, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Earlier this week, 17 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer, encouraging him to consider a rice-specific Section 301 investigation into nations that are unfairly harming our domestic rice producers.
After months of uncertainty, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed Wednesday that the Project Cypress Direct Air Capture project in Louisiana has survived a "critical" department-wide audit—conducted as part of a broader administration review of federal spending—with funding of up to $600 million possible.
Listen to the latest markets and headlines in Louisiana Agriculture on The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture Radio Network.