Registration for the inaugural 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation joint leadership conference, Rooted in Leadership, is now open! The conference will be held January 23–24 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited a Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Louisiana Monday, marking her first stop at one of the 2,100 offices reopened nationwide following a presidential directive to resume operations during the ongoing government shutdown.

Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA), Governor Jeff Landry (R-LA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, and Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain held a roundtable discussion with Louisiana farmers, cattlemen, and aquaculture reps, focused on strengthening the state’s agricultural industry.

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple on Friday announced that Louisiana Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company will reduce auto insurance rates by 11.8% for more than 80,000 policyholders statewide beginning Jan. 1.

The reduction marks one of the largest single decreases in recent years, coming as insurers report fewer accidents and cite growing confidence in Louisiana’s legal reforms.

To find inspiration for his interior design of LSU’s latest University House, Kenneth Brown had to put down his pencil and put on his sneakers.

“When I finally said yes to this project, I just walked the lakes,” says Brown, an LSU alumnus whose design portfolio includes high-profile jobs both in Hollywood and here in his Baton Rouge hometown.

The home’s social calendar is packed many months out. Recent events have included a 50-person seated dinner, a breakfast meeting, and a luncheon for an LSU Foundation Board of Directors member who received an honorary degree. For a dinner held in conjunction with Louisiana Farm Bureau, the menu included biscuits made with LSU-grown sweet potatoes and a sweet potato cheesecake for dessert.

It looks like Louisiana has one decent chance of rain in the next week, and that will come today. It may linger into Thursday for south Louisiana, but if you need significant rain, I hope you get enough to last you by close of business Thursday.

The Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Task Force officially named its members Thursday, Sept. 4.

The task force was created during the 2025 Louisiana Legislative Regular Session to study and recommend best practices for managing and mitigating CWD in the state.

The 21-member panel includes a state senator, a state representative, a Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner, officials from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), a veterinarian from the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and representatives from the Louisiana Landowner Association, Natural Resource Management Association, Louisiana Forest Association, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, Louisiana Farm Bureau, private industry, and landowners.

In August, the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) welcomed a team of 11 Mexican grain importers to New Orleans to offer a better understanding of U.S. grain export procedures, regulatory frameworks, logistics and operations in maritime shipping

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.

When we talk with farmers across the country, from cotton fields in Mississippi and cornfields in Iowa to apple orchards in Washington, the theme is the same: uncertainty. The past few years have tested even the most seasoned farmers. Facing rising input costs, unpredictable market access and many other challenges, farmers and ranchers are working harder while margins grow thinner.

The American Farm Bureau Federation announced the next recipient of an award that recognizes veterans or service members for excellence in farming or agriculture and positively impacting local communities. Retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Rutter of South Carolina is the second recipient of the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence presented by AFBF with support from Farm Credit. Rutter served 22 years in the Army, where his service included leading intelligence operations across Europe and the Middle East.

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall today applauded the Senate vote to end the government shutdown and urged the House to act quickly.

The American Farm Bureau Federation is expanding the reach of its landmark Farm State of Mind initiative to a broader coalition of food and farming sector partners by joining forces with the Farm Family Wellness Alliance to launch the Farm State of Mind Alliance.

Thirteen farm and ranch women leaders graduated from the fall session of Women’s Communications Boot Camp hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

It’s almost time to kick off AFBF’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey! Each year, AFBF reports on the average retail cost of a traditional meal for 10 people. Help from farmer and rancher members across the country makes this possible.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the future of America’s beef supply.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on President Trump’s plans to reduce beef prices through increased beef imports from Argentina.

A just-launched national Women in Agriculture Study is a comprehensive effort to capture women’s voices from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The survey remains open through March 31 to gather insights from women working in production agriculture, agribusiness, education and advocacy, as well as from men and others in related fields who can offer perspectives on women’s roles in agriculture.

The American Farm Bureau Federation sent letters to President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders to emphasize the severe economic pressures facing America’s farmers and ranchers. Falling crop prices, skyrocketing expenses and trade disputes are creating conditions that are too much for farm families to bear.

Farm Bureau veteran Dr. John Newton returns to the American Farm Bureau Federation team on October 20, 2025, to serve as Vice President of Public Policy and Economic Analysis. In this role, he will lead AFBF’s government relations and advocacy staff and serve as chief economist, guiding AFBF’s team of economists.

Dr. Newton previously served as AFBF’s chief economist from 2018 to 2021. He returns to AFBF after serving as the chief economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry from 2021 until 2024, and most recently serving as part of the Farm Credit system as the executive head of Terrain.

Soybean growers this week are set to hear details of a potential bailout. The White House is promising to make farmers a “fortune” after their largest buyer, China, left the market and has not returned.

Meanwhile, critical services are on hold as the government shutdown continues. The Senate will gather this afternoon for another vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government.