The Becnel family has farmed Louisiana citrus for five generations, so when Ben Becnel was asked about the industry's current state, his answer was simple.
"It used to be profitable. Now, it's not," he said.
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Allison and Grant Guidroz woke up near midnight in September last year to a horrifying site at their Baton Rouge home and micro-farm — a fire rising from their detached garage.
The Guidrozes operate Fullness Farm, an organic micro-farm built on the old Longwood Plantation that amasses one acre of the 15-acre property. In the fire, the family lost their tractor, truck and stores of bottled-up honey and seeds. The family and farm were unharmed. Their younger two children, luckily, were staying at their grandparent's home.
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Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is now accepting applications for the 2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, funded through the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service.
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Liuzza Family Farm is more than 7,000 miles from Iran, but the war in the region is still hitting home in Tangipahoa Parish.
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program assistance for specialty crops and sugar, commodities not covered through the previously announced Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program. These one-time bridge payments will help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, persistent inflation, and market losses from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impede exports. Specialty crop producers have until March 13, 2026, to report 2025 acres to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).
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South Louisiana may not have gotten the ice and snow seen further north, but parts were blanketed in white.
In Tangipahoa Parish, strawberry grower Joey Liuzza has been working to protect his crop while continuing to harvest. White fields dotted with frost cover aren’t snowdrifts—they’re protective row covers used to shield strawberry plants from freezing temperatures.
Running one of Louisiana’s biggest mushroom farms is not for the weak.
Mushroom Maggie's Farm grows and sells up to 1,200 to 1,500 pounds of mushrooms every week. The St. Francisville-based business cultivates a variety of fungi, at least eight different kinds like lion’s mane, oyster, pink trumpet, shiitake and chestnut mushrooms.
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With November coming to a close and the cooler winter months rolling in, it’s time to start planting.
Despite misconceptions, the prime time to plant fruits and vegetables is the late fall, not the spring.
“You want to get them out during this cold season,” said Denyse Cummins, an extension horticulturalist at the LSU AgCenter.
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How would you like to look and feel your best, all while helping out your neighbors? That’s the premise behind the Lake Charles Farm to Table Market.
For many families like Catherine Ange’s in the Lake Area, this has become a weekly tradition, "I love eating fresh. I love eating from places that I know are taking care of their animals. I know the nutritional value is better than what we can get at the grocery store, and it gets my kids to come out and have a whole new experience.”
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October is Italian American Heritage Month, a time to honor Italian traditions and their impact across the country. In Independence, Louisiana, one family’s story shows how those roots continue to grow strong, five generations later.
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Louisiana’s food markets offer a special peek into the state’s vibrant culinary culture. From historic city markets to countryside specialty shops, these spots showcase the best Cajun, Creole, and Southern flavors.
Whether you’re hunting for fresh seafood, homemade sausages, or local produce, these ten markets deliver authentic Louisiana tastes that keep locals and visitors coming back for more.
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An event is being held to help raise money for the Red Stick Farmer’s Market and other programs.
The event is called Farm Fete and is being organized by BREADA, which hosts the farmer’s market. Farm Fete will take place on Thursday, September 25, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Main Street Market on Main Street in downtown Baton Rouge.
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Louisiana strawberry farmers regularly contend with a multitude of challenges, including labor costs, unfavorable weather conditions, insect and mite pests, and plant diseases. In February 2022, a new-to-Louisiana disease was identified when a Tangipahoa Parish strawberry grower asked me to look at a field where plants were dying.
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The pawpaw (Asimina triloba), America’s largest native fruit, is experiencing a resurgence of interest from chefs, brewers and native plant enthusiasts. The LSU AgCenter has been encouraging the cultivation of pawpaws in Louisiana through an annual Pawpaw Symposium in partnership with the Meraux Foundation and through extension education outreach to specialty crop producers looking to diversify their offerings.
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There’s a booth at the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge where the star attraction is hibiscus. But it’s not the showy ornamental plant you’ll often see adorning Southern front porches. It’s roselle hibiscus, the smaller, bloodred flower with a fruit that’s long been used in a variety of culinary applications. Clinton, Louisiana’s Lena Farms began cultivating it in 2012, tapping into a rising interest in hibiscus teas and other products.
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