Floodwaters that swept through Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes devastated hay fields, leaving farmers to contend with rotting crops, mounting disposal costs, and a hay shortage that could strain cattle producers across the region.
The rain fell hardest in Avoyelles Parish, but as water moved south, farmers in northern St. Landry Parish watched fields, roads, and yards change by the day.
Read MoreThanks to Buck Leonards and the staff at Louisiana Farm & Ranch for making the digital edition available here.
Read MoreThe Southern Shrimp Alliance, joined by the American Shrimp Processors Association, the Catfish Farmers of America, the Crawfish Processors Alliance, and the Crawfish Commodity Committee of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, submitted comments expressing strong support in favor of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) proposal that additional tariffs of 12.5 percent be imposed on imported goods from China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam, including seafood, and additional tariffs of 10 percent be imposed on imported merchandise from Ecuador, Indonesia, and Mexico, including seafood.
Read MoreAs St. Landry Parish continues its cleanup and recovery from catastrophic flooding, parish officials and farmers are raising questions about whether better canal and drainage maintenance could have reduced the flood's impact.
Canals, bayous, and drainage were among the topics discussed at a meeting with farmers in Opelousas last week. Whiteville farmer Jeffery Sylvester described conditions he observed at drainage weirs before and during the flooding.
Read MoreJean Treas, 19, of Tangipahoa Parish, was crowned the 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Queen at the organization's 104th annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention on June 20 at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel.
Twenty-one young women representing their respective parish Farm Bureaus participated in the event.
Read MoreLouisiana's agriculture commissioner met with flood-affected farmers in Opelousas on Monday, urging them to meticulously document their losses as crop damage from catastrophic flooding in Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes climbs into the millions of dollars.
Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain traveled to Opelousas to outline the steps farmers must take to access state and federal assistance following flooding that inundated miles of farm fields and forced livestock to seek higher ground about a week and a half ago.
Read MoreA long-standing priority of Louisiana Farm Bureau and years of advocacy by Congresswoman Julia Letlow have culminated in legislation that will soon become law.
Upon President Trump’s signature of the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act, critical disaster recovery reforms for Louisiana farmers, ranchers and forest landowners will take effect. That will bring faster recovery when farmers are most in need.
Read MoreLouisiana lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are sponsoring legislation that would reclassify those who work on crawfish farms. Congressmen Troy Carter, Cleo Fields and Clay Higgins are joining forces in proposing what’s known as the CRAW (Crawfish Reclassification for Agricultural Workforce) Act. Andy Brown with the Louisiana Farm Bureau says Congress had gotten it wrong by not classifying crawfish processors as agricultural workers.
Read MoreFarmers, ranchers and agricultural leaders from across Louisiana gathered for the 104th Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention to discuss the issues and policies affecting the agriculture industry.
Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot said members spent time discussing everything from the Farm Bill to labor reform.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation’s Livestock Advisory Committee is responding to the needs expressed by Central Louisiana ranchers following last week’s devastating floods. The Louisiana Farm Bureau Hay Clearinghouse connects ranchers who have an abundance of hay with those who lost pastures and forage to ensure their cattle, horses and other livestock can stay alive through this disaster.
Read MoreMacy Rushing remembers her brother encouraging her to create social media posts about her daily life as a cattle rancher in Louisiana's East Feliciana Parish.
"I told him, 'There is nothing interesting about my day,'" said Rushing, who works with her husband, Matt, on their farm.
Read MoreA 19-year-old from Tangipahoa Parish took home the title of 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Queen at the group's 104th annual convention.
Jean Treas earned the crown after competing with 21 young women from across the state. The contest included an interview about agriculture, a style show and an evening gown presentation.
Read MoreA slimmed down Republican Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, who is already the state's longest-serving statewide elected official, said he will run for a sixth term in 2027.
Strain spoke at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans over the weekend.
Read MoreAcadiana Farmer Richard Fontenot will continue to lead Louisiana's most influential agriculture voice as president of Farm Bureau, which wields considerable political clout and lobbies to set policy for the state's $13 billion industry.
Fontenot was elected June 21 to a third one-year term as president at the Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans.
Read MoreA one-page bill sponsored by an unlikely team of U.S. congressmen could hold the key to stabilizing the crawfish industry.
As we previously reported, several processing plants across the state were left without H2B visa workers to peel crawfish. Farmers say it sent shockwaves across the industry.
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