By Faimon A. Roberts, III
NOLA.com
Gov. John Bel Edwards has asked the federal government to issue a disaster declaration for a number of parishes whose farmers were hit hard by extreme weather during the past growing season.
The request, which had been urged by U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, whose district includes many of the hard-hit parishes in the state's northeast, underscores a tumultuous year for the state's farmers.