Strain Meets With Southern Ag Commissioners

By Don Molino, The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture Radio Network

Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain has been in Memphis the past couple of days meeting with Southern Agriculture Commissioners after meeting last week with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

During his report on the Voice of Louisiana Agriculture  Radio Network, Strain said one topic of discussion at the meeting in Memphis was the Food Modernization Safety Act “and how we have to be prepared to go by early next year.  We’ll be doing some on farm readiness to get our farms up to par as we get ready for the implementation of the law which was passed in 2011.”

Another major topic of discussion among the southern ag commissioners was Asian influenza as well as the new farm bill and the Market Access Program.

Strain also reported the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported during the Memphis meeting more than 28,000 farms are located in Louisiana and 30.2% of all farms in this country are located in the Southern Region.

29.3% of the land here in Louisiana is in production agriculture, according to NASS, and almost 50% of the land in Louisiana in in timber.  Strain also pointed out 80 to 85% of all the land in Louisiana is enrolled in agriculture and forestry.