Diana Amaya, a Ph.D. student in agricultural economics at LSU, is breaking new ground as the university’s first recipient of the prestigious FFAR Fellowship. The program from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research offers participants professional development and career guidance.
Amaya is part of a national cohort of 33 scholars selected for their potential to drive innovation in agriculture through interdisciplinary research and professional development.
Read MoreOld crop corn stocks on hand as of Sept. 1, 2025, totaled 1.53 billion bushels, down 13% from Sept. 1, 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Grain Stocks report released today. Old crop soybeans stored in all positions were down 8% from Sept. 1, 2024, and all wheat stocks were up 6% from a year earlier.
Read MoreThe spread of rice delphacid, an invasive pest, is threatening rice production in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.
With no economically viable solutions to control it, Texas A&M AgriLife experts and Extension partners led by USA Rice have created a multistate task force to find some.
Read MoreThe good news — the cotton market continues to hold the 66-cent level, although it is struggling. On a trading basis, December futures slips below its life of contract low close, 66.04 cents, on a routine basis. Yet, to date, it has bounced back to just above that low closing level.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced eligible livestock producers will receive disaster recovery assistance through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire (ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW) to help offset increased supplemental feed costs due to a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The program is expected to provide approximately $1 billion in recovery benefits. Sign-up begins on Monday, September 15. Livestock producers have until October 31, 2025, to apply for assistance.
Read MoreAccording to USDA, as of last Sunday, 96 percent of the Louisiana soybean crop was coloring, 93 percent dropping leaves, 88 percent mature and 78 percent has now been harvested. The bean crop is reported at two percent excellent, 20 percent fair and 78 percent good.
Read MoreHey there, it’s me again! It is hard to believe that we are past Labor Day and rolling headfirst into Fall. Speaking of Fall, we were blessed with some nice weather during
Well, it seems that Fall has arrived again! While we had a few days of unseasonably cooler weather during late August, summer came back for what we hope is one last round.
Read MoreGumbo, what some Louisianians would call a staple dish to serve during the cold months, is a blend of vegetables, meats, and roux.
Stacy Spedale, a Louisiana native who grew up in Milton, first learned how to cook gumbo from her husband in 2008.
Since then, she’s learned her way around a gumbo pot, including making the most important ingredient, the roux.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will hold its biannual Data Users’ Meeting in West Des Moines, Iowa, on October 21, starting at 1 p.m. CT. The free and open-to-the-public event will also have a virtual attendance option. For both methods, registration is required.
The Data Users’ Meeting is held to share recent and pending statistical program changes with the public and to solicit input on these and other programs important to agriculture.
Read MoreTiming is the most important element in a maximally efficient rice crop. Planting early is the key element to producing top yield, and it all begins with fall field prep.
Ron Levy, Louisiana State University Extension rice specialist, is a firm believer in preparing a fall foundation for infallible spring rice planting.
Read MoreThe Southern University Ag Center will host a drone certification test preparation training at the M.A. Edmound Multi-Purpose Building, 14600 Scenic Hwy., in Baton Rouge from Oct. 13-16, 2025.
The four-day training is designed for farmers, researchers, students, educators, entrepreneurs, and professionals interested in using drones for agriculture, research, business applications, or anyone seeking to become an FAA-certified drone pilot.
Read MoreRice Farmer John Owen says inflation and recent tariffs are undermining the 2018 farm bill and increasing the need for a new one.
“We’ve had about three years of prices that were below the cost of production,” Owen said. “We’ve gone, we’re almost three years without a meaningful farm bill. ”
Read MoreChemical harvest aids are applied to almost every cotton acre in the Midsouth. These products allow the perennial crop to be manipulated into a timely, single-pass harvest. Leaf material remaining on the plant at harvest is the primary source of staining and trash. When properly applied, the removal of leaves and opening of bolls generated by harvest aids results in a substantial increase in yield, improvement of fiber quality, reduction of boll rot, and increase in picker efficiency. Harvest aids used in cotton production are broadly organized as either defoliants, boll openers, or desiccants.
Read MoreSugarcane farming in New Iberia is embracing new technology, including drones, to improve efficiency and profitability, according to veteran farmer Ricky Gonsoulin.
Ricky Gonsoulin, who has been farming sugarcane for 39 years, highlighted the industry’s evolution through the adoption of new technologies each harvest. This year, a large drone was used to drop holy water on the sugarcane crops as part of a blessing ceremony.
Read MoreIn Louisiana, where heat and humidity dominate much of the year, raising high-quality beef that tolerates the weather is challenging. Traditional cattle breeds that thrive in cooler climates often don’t adapt well to the Gulf South. Brahman cattle, a breed known for its resilience but not necessarily for premium beef, are typically found throughout the state.
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