Farm and ranch closures, land forfeitures, labor issues and more, are contributing factors to the high level of stress in rural communities. According to a 2015 report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention – a full five years before the COVID-19 pandemic hit – rates of suicide in rural communities measured twice that of urban areas.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction is now accepting nominations for its annual induction ceremony, which will be held March 24, 2022, in Baton Rouge.
Read MoreYesterday, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission agents arrested a Bossier Parish man accused of stealing a horse in Caddo Parish.
Thirty-six-year-old Rodney Jase Norwood, 127 Willow Bend Road, Benton, La., was arrested in Bossier Parish on a warrant from Caddo Parish following an investigation by the Livestock Brand Commission.
Read MoreMore than one year after Hurricane Laura caused more than $1.6-billion in damage to the state’s agriculture industry, some farmers say assistance has been inadequate.
“It’s very slow to get any type of aid in your pocket,” said farmer Brandon Vail. “It's not a cheap deal to rebuild and rebuilding is going to take several years.”
Read MoreWe hear the word "resiliency" a lot nowadays, in discussions of urban planning, infrastructure and economics, usually at a governmental level.
Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain told a St. Mary Chamber Business Luncheon audience Wednesday that people and individual businesses should also find ways cope with and bounce back from the inevitable tough times.
Agricultural producers, pesticide applicators and homeowners can drop off unwanted pesticides during the Unwanted Pesticide Pick-Up day on Nov. 2, 2021, from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Simplot Grower Solutions, 1110 West Mill Street in Crowley.
Read MoreAs recovery efforts progress following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning and Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain are lifting the cease and desist order issued for all private burning for two parishes: Iberville and St. Bernard.
The cease and desist order remains in place for Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and Terrebonne parishes. In these parishes, private burning is only allowed by permission of the local fire department or local government.
Read MoreAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to aid recovery efforts for farmers, ranchers and residents affected by Hurricane Ida. USDA staff in offices across the country are ready to respond with a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to producers and communities in need.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is hosting a pesticide pick-up day on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at Simplot Grower Solutions, 1110 W. Mill St. Extension in Crowley from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Read MoreBales of hay are headed to Plaquemines Parish to help cattle and horses impacted by Hurricane Ida.
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry says that the hay will be used to feed cattle and horses stranded following the storm.
LDAF says the delivery was made possible thanks to their partners at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, Louisiana Cattlemen's Association, the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association Equine Committee, Texas Equine Veterinary Association, Texas A&M Veterinary Association and The Foundation for the Horse.
Read MorePower outages alongside mangled trees, ruined crops and damaged grain elevators were early indications of Hurricane Ida's impact on Louisiana's agriculture industry.
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry did a flyover Thursday across parishes hard hit by the storm. Commissioner Mike Strain saw some stranded livestock and flooding in some orchards in Plaquemines Parish, but it's too early to estimate the total cost of damage.
Read MoreLouisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain says there are a lot of barges and ships grounded in the Mississippi River in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
“We have to get the barges floated and the ships back into the channel and get the channel cleared,” said Strain.
“We are some six days out from re-opening the mouth of the (Mississippi) River. We have to remove the debris and get the power lines pulled out of the river.
“We hope the upper river, from basically the Port of (South) Louisiana to Baton Rouge and further north, to have that section of the river open and then start moving cargo again.
“There are a lot of ships in the river that are waiting to be loaded. But we’re also working to get electricity to our refineries and grain elevators so we can get those repaired.
“Nine of Loisiana’’s major refineries, which process over two million barrels of oil a day—or 13% of the US total—were offline in the wake of Ida.”
Read MoreFollowing the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning and Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain have issued a cease and desist order for all private burning, pursuant to authority under R.S. 40:1602.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry deployed their mobile pet shelter and animal-transport task force on Monday, Aug. 30.
The task force helped to shelter and care for pets in Laplace which saw major flooding caused by Hurricane Ida.
Read MoreAs cleanup from Hurricane Ida begins, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., is reminding residents to hire only professional-licensed arborists to perform work on storm-damaged trees.
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