Posts in Livestock
Bird Flu Epidemic Requires Intervention
Bird Flu Epidemic Requires Intervention

With avian flu wiping out chicken populations and driving up egg prices, people have been struggling for solutions. US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr has suggested that instead of culling birds that are affected, farmers should consider letting the disease run through the flock to identify and preserve birds that are immune to it.

Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain emphasizes the terrible impact that would have on the industry thusly: “There might be two chickens left when it’s over.”

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Livestock, LDAF, PoultryLouisiana Farm Bureau Last Name
SU Ag Center’s 82nd Annual State Livestock and Poultry Show Recap
SU Ag Center’s 82nd Annual State Livestock and Poultry Show Recap

Nearly 100 youth exhibitors from throughout Louisiana gathered at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Arena from February 27 – March 1, 2025 for the Southern University Ag Center’s 82nd Annual State Livestock and Poultry Show.

The exhibitors showed around 130 breeds of cattle, hogs, sheep, lamb, goats, and poultry during the event. The winners took home cash prizes, premiums, banners, ribbons, rosettes, and trophy belt buckles.

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Livestock, SU Ag CenterLouisiana Farm Bureau Last Name
Ag Commissioner Mike Strain Suggests Importing Eggs to Lower Prices
Ag Commissioner Mike Strain Suggests Importing Eggs to Lower Prices

There isn't anybody who's been in the grocery store in the past few months that hasn't dealt with the exorbitant cost of eggs.  Or maybe it's the 'eggsorbitant' cost of eggs. Sorry, trying to inject a little humor into a basically humorless situation.

But the crisis hasn't gone unnoticed by Louisiana state officials.  Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain recently met with Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture, about how to get a handle on egg prices, and what to do about the effects of Bird Influenza.

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Livestock, Poultry, LDAFLouisiana Farm Bureau Last Name
Louisiana Commercial Poultry Untouched by Bird Flu, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain Says
Louisiana Commercial Poultry Untouched by Bird Flu, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain Says

As the nation combats high egg prices due to viral chicken deaths, Louisiana officials say the state's poultry farmers remain unaffected. The virus is in the state, killing wild bird populations. The key, experts say, may be Louisiana cattle.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending $1 billion in a five-pronged approach to combat this year's predicted 40% increase in egg prices.

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LDAF, Livestock, PoultryLouisiana Farm Bureau Last Name
Output of Hay in Region Climbs
Output of Hay in Region Climbs

Hay acreage declined in the southeastern United States in 2024, but the region's hay production rose 2%, and was up 17% in Arkansas, according to the Crop Production Summary from National Agricultural Statistics Service.

In the southeast -- a region comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia -- hay stocks on May 1 reached 2.80 million tons, up 15% from the previous year.

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LivestockAvery Davidson