Growing zones, also referred to as hardiness zones, are geographical areas categorized based on average annual minimum winter temperatures in order to determine which plants are likely to thrive in a specific region.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a Plant Hardiness Zone Map that divides the U.S. into 13 different zones, which helps gardeners choose plants that can survive in their respective climate.
Read MoreLouisiana 5th District Congresswoman Julia Letlow sent a letter this week to the Acting Administrator of the Farm Service Agency in an effort to expedite approval of USDA guaranteed crop loans as farmers begin planting.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on USDA’s announcement that it will release $10 billion in economic assistance for corn, soybean, wheat, cotton, rice and other field crop farmers, which was authorized by Congress in December.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, on National Agriculture Day, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), ECAP will help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that USDA will be delivering any assistance it can for communities and agricultural producers affected by the weekend storms that cut a path of devastation through the South and Midwest.
These storms have sparked tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires that have engulfed hundreds of square miles, left hundreds of thousands of homes without power and taken dozens of lives.
Read MoreHoney production during 2024 from Louisiana producers with five or more colonies totaled 3.40 million pounds, up 48 percent from 2023. There were 68,000 honey producing colonies in 2024, up 17,000 colonies from previous year. Yield per colony averaged 50 pounds of honey, up 11 percent from 2023. Honey stocks held by producers on December 15, 2024, were 1,156,000 pounds, up 618 percent from a year earlier.
Read MoreCotton producers in Louisiana may be eligible for Loan Deficiency Payments (LDP) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). LDPs are payments made to producers who, although eligible to obtain a Marketing Assistance Loan, agree to forgo the loan in return for a payment on the eligible commodity. The deadline to apply for an LDP on 2024 crop-year cotton is May 31, 2025.
Read MoreIf you participate in USDA programs, including our farm loan and conservation programs, it’s time to start preparing for tax season. It is important to not overlook USDA payments when calculating your taxes. USDA issues documentation for your taxes, including 1098 forms for USDA farm loans and 1099 forms for program payments.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for March 2025, which are effective March 3, 2025. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.
Read MoreThe USDA 1890s National Scholars Program application period has been reopened, and applications will be accepted through March 15th.
Read MoreTime is running out for USDA to issue the nearly $10 billion of economic relief payments to farmers. Congress approved a 90-day window to release those payments, and in an exclusive interview with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins Thursday morning, we asked when exactly those payments will be released. Rollins confirmed to Farm Journal that those payments will be released before the current deadline.
Read MoreThe value of production for field crops in Louisiana during 2024 totaled $2.71 billion, down 7 percent from 2023. The top three crop commodities (excluding sugarcane), soybeans, rice, and corn, accounted for 51 percent of the total value of production for field crops.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced a $1 billion-dollar comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices. This is in addition to funding already being provided to indemnify growers for depopulated flocks.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that USDA will release the first tranche of funding that was paused due to the review of funding in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
In alignment with White House directives, Secretary Rollins will honor contracts that were already made directly to farmers. Specifically, USDA is releasing approximately $20 million in contracts for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
Read MoreSince Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, Brooke Rollins has been focused on how to build the teams and the plans that impact the trajectory of agriculture and rural America. On that day, while en route with her husband and four teenagers in their motorhome to Auburn, Ala., for the Texas A&M football game, she got a call from now President Donald Trump. The purpose of his call: She was his top choice to fill his final significant cabinet position, Secretary of Agriculture.
Read More
