Louisiana Shrimpers Hope Trump Tariffs on India Can Help Their Struggling Industry

Louisiana shrimpers say there’s a long list of reasons why the state’s shrimping industry has been drying up in recent decades. Atop that list is the mountain of shrimp being imported from outside the United States. It’s why Pelas and other local shrimpers are applauding President Trump’s 25 percent tariff on goods from India, including its cheaper, farm-raised shrimp, which Pelas says kills competition by dragging down overall shrimp prices.

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AquacultureAllie Shipley
The Peggy Martin Rose: 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina

A quick glance at Peggy Martin’s Gonzales, Louisiana, home, and it’s clear she loves plants. Paintings and prints of flowers line her walls, tablecloths pop with colorful flora, potted plants fill corners and bouquets dot shelves and end tables. Her yard is an oasis of greens, pinks, reds and purples.

Growing along her garden gate is an extraordinary plant with a storied past, a prolific blooming vining rose that bears her name, the Peggy Martin rose.

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Port of South Louisiana Director Paul Matthews Resigns

Paul Matthews has stepped down as executive director of the Port of South Louisiana, ending a nearly three-year tenure marked by major growth and strategic development. The resignation, announced August 6, is effective immediately.

Founded in 1960, the Port of South Louisiana is the largest port in the state and the second largest by tonnage in the Western Hemisphere. It is the top grain exporter in the United States and ranks second in energy transfer volume, serving as a key logistics hub for agriculture, oil, petrochemicals, and increasingly, clean energy.

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Could Sweet Potatoes Be a New Crop for New York?

Sweet potatoes are a superfood rich with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

They’re also a great source for high-value phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and anthocyanins. These chemicals impart various combinations of white, orange and purple to the crop’s flesh and skin, contributing to their popularity.

Sweet potatoes are primarily grown in southern states — North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi — that offer ideal growing conditions, infrastructure and established markets.

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10 Tips to Stay H-2A Audit-ready

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. 

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Mexican Ranchers Struggle to Adapt as a Parasite Ravages Cattle Exports to the U.S.

The United States' suspension of live cattle imports from Mexico hit at the worst possible time for rancher Martín Ibarra Vargas, who after two years of severe drought had hoped to put his family on better footing selling his calves across the northern border.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Ibarra Vargas has raised cattle on the parched soil of Sonora, the state in northwestern Mexico that shares a long border with the United States, particularly Arizona.

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Farmers Seek Dry Weather for Corn Harvest

Farmers were attempting to return to the fields Monday after weekend weather events dumped one- to two-inches of rain on some parts of Concordia Parish, according to Kylie Miller, LSU AgCenter extension associate.

Unusual amounts of summer rain have helped corn during its growing period, but the harvest has been “stop and go, stop and go” due to continued afternoon and evening showers, Miller said.

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Local Corn Harvest Begins

Farmers are in their fields throughout Franklin Parish, busy harvesting their corn crop.

This year’s yields are expected to be good, barring any unforeseen weather events, according to LSU AgCenter Extension Agent Carol Pinnell-Alison.

“I think we are going to have a good year with both corn and soybeans,” she said.

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National Corn Growers Association Raises Alarm Over High Input Costs

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), along with 25 state-based corn grower groups, sent a letter to Trump administration officials today detailing the worsening economic situation caused by elevated prices for fertilizers and other inputs that are critical for growing corn.

The letter, sent to the U.S. trade representative, secretary of commerce and secretary of agriculture, painted a grim economic picture in the American countryside. Signatories pledged to work with the officials to help address concerns with input costs, implement new trade deals and remove trade barriers.

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Corndon molino
Will Louisiana Get Slammed with Another Historic Snowstorm This Winter?

The Old Farmer's Almanac just released a sneak peek at what's shaping the upcoming winter, and while they haven't published specific snow predictions for Louisiana yet, the atmospheric setup looks intriguing for weather watchers.

The centuries-old weather guide won't reveal its full Winter 2025-2026 forecast until the 2026 edition hits shelves this fall. But the early indicators they've shared suggest Louisiana could see the type of atmospheric patterns that historically produce the state's most memorable winter storms.

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