Farming Through the Struggle: Laura Hebert's Commitment to Louisiana Agriculture

By Kristen Oaks-White

Louisiana Farm Bureau News

VERMILION PARISH, La. — As Louisiana Farm Bureau prepares to recognize the state's top young agricultural leaders, one Vermilion Parish farmer is proving that resilience may be one of the most important qualities a producer can possess.

Laura Hebert is one of three finalists for the 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding young farmers who have demonstrated excellence in their farming operations and commitment to agriculture. The winner will be announced during the 104th Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans.

For Hebert, the honor comes during a year that has tested her operation in nearly every way imaginable.

The story of the fourth-generation farmer is written across the landscape of Vermilion Parish — in rice fields, crawfish ponds and rows of sugarcane. This year, those fields have taught her that some of the toughest seasons can also reveal the greatest strength.

"You feel like a punching bag sometimes, like you get hit and try to come back and pick yourself up and start all over again, and it's kind of like it's a plan for the future," Hebert said.

After enduring one of the most difficult years of her farming career, Hebert says farming has become about much more than growing crops. It's about survival.

"We took a hard hit with that was not being able to sell at the right time, the prices being really low," she said. "We hadn't seen those prices since, I think 2010. So it really gets hard. Me and my dad both."

Like many producers across Louisiana, Hebert has faced a perfect storm of challenges. Low commodity prices, rising input costs, drought and the continued loss of farmland have all added pressure to her operation.

"This last year, I lost 100 acres to a landowner selling some property, which has been kind of the last two years, has been hitting me really hard," Hebert said. "I've kind of had to fight to keep some land, you know, go to the landowners and tell them, look, let me farm the land."

Despite those setbacks, one crop has helped keep the farm moving forward.

Four years ago, Hebert added sugarcane to her operation as a way to diversify. Today, she credits that decision with helping stabilize the farm during a difficult economic climate.

"To have the saving grace of sugarcane has been kind of a lifeline," she said. "It came in the right time."

While other commodities struggled, sugarcane provided an opportunity to remain profitable.

"We're not counting pennies," Hebert said. "We're actually able to make a profit and afford to give the crop what it needs. And feel like I'll be farming cane for a long time. I'm proud to call myself a sugarcane farmer."

Even with sugarcane's success, Hebert admits the future can still feel uncertain.

"The first time in my career, I feel like I've had to think about what can I do? What can I do to maybe get some income off of the farm?" she said. "Just because sugarcane is great right now, but the way the economy's going, I don't know what the future is going to look like."

Still, the crops that built her family's legacy remain at the heart of her operation.

The crawfish ponds and rice fields that her family has worked for generations continue to give her hope.

"I feel like that's where I started my career," Hebert said. "It's what I've always known. That's what my family's loved to do."

Although current market conditions remain difficult, she believes better days are ahead.

"I think that in a few years, maybe five, ten years, things will be better," she said. "I think we'll get out of this rut."

She remains determined to ensure rice and crawfish remain part of the farm's future.

"You pray on it, you do what you can," Hebert said. "And I hope that in ten years from now, 15 years now, still able to plant rice and crawfish and be profitable. And even if not, it will be a hobby. It'll be something that, it'll never leave the farm."

Through every challenge, Hebert says her wife, Amber, and their son provide constant motivation.

"He's been a huge light in my life for sure," she said. "Even on the tough days, coming home to him kind of makes it all worth it. It makes the struggle worth it, and it makes me want to keep farming to be able to see him enjoy what I do and share that together."

For Hebert, farming has never been solely about financial success. It is about preserving a way of life and continuing a family legacy she hopes will endure for generations.

"I think that we do what we do. It's not for the money," she said. "I'm not here because I'm going to be the most profitable farmer. I'm here because I'm doing what I love."

And despite the uncertainty facing agriculture today, that passion remains unchanged.

"Regardless of how beat down I am, I can step on the field and still feel a sense of pride," Hebert said. "Even though I'm going through a struggle every day, I know that I can make it out on the other side."

This year's winner will receive a $35,000 cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they will compete for the national Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award in January 2027.