On September 28, investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Enforcement Division arrested Laura C. Mclaughlin of Pitkin, LA, for a second time for obstruction of justice.
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The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) requests feedback about the new Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grant program.
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Agricultural producers, pesticide applicators, and homeowners can drop off pesticides for disposal during the Unwanted Pesticide Pick-Up Day on Thursday, November 2, 2023, from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Monroe District Office in Ouachita Parish, 754 Highway 80 E. in Monroe.
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Investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s Forestry Enforcement Division arrested 30-year-old Zachary Faulk of Merryville, La., on one count of negligent burning and one count of violating the state burn ban.
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The Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction is now accepting nominations for its annual induction ceremony, which will be held March 7 in Baton Rouge.
The nomination form can be obtained online at www.louisianaagriculturehallofdistinction.com or through any parish LSU AgCenter office. The deadline for receiving nominations is Nov. 17.
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Following consultation among the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM), the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security (GOHSEP), and the National Weather Service (NWS), the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has modified the burn ban order to rescind the prohibition on agricultural burning, EXCEPT for standing sugarcane, effective as of 5:00 p.m., September 27.
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On September 22, investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Enforcement Division arrested Laura Mclaughlin of Pitkin, LA, for setting wildfires in Rapides Parish.
In the early morning hours of August 24, LDAF fire crews and the Plainview Fire Department responded to multiple wildfires set in the Union Hill area in Rapides Parish.
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As previously reported, investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division have determined that many of the large wildfires burning throughout Louisiana in recent weeks are the result of arson. LDAF investigators, Louisiana State Fire Marshal deputies, and various parish sheriff’s office detectives continue to actively investigate the matter.
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On September 12, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division agents responded to an arson event in Webster Parish.
Webster Parish Fire Department advised LDAF agents that four unnamed juveniles had allegedly stolen a flare gun from the local Walmart in Springhill, LA, and proceeded to shoot flares into a field behind the Walmart, starting fires in the area.
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Investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division arrested 32-year-old Michael Shawn Setliff of Flatwoods, Louisiana, on three counts of simple arson for fires set in Grant Parish.
Investigators allege that on September 13, 2023, Setliff set multiple wildfires off Highway 500 and on W.W. Melton Road.
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Louisiana's statewide burn ban has been extended for at least one more week as wildfires continue to burn and drought conditions worsen, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain confirmed.
"We're still fighting fires," Strain said in an interview with USA Today Network. "The fire risk is so high right now it's sound judgement to extend the burn ban."
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Washington Parish Fire District 6 fought a fire on Lon Miley Road Monday afternoon. According to the district's Facebook page, units could see a large column of smoke coming from the area, and had dispatch page out mutual aid from other departments and Louisiana Forestry Department.
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The Southern U.S. has faced a challenging summer with unrelenting daily temperatures above 100 degrees, abnormally low relative humidity, critically dry vegetative fuels ready to burn, wildfires exhibiting extreme fire behavior, and to top it off — a hurricane.
Hot summers and wildfires are not new to the South, nor is interagency cooperation in responding to and suppressing wildfires. But this summer has been far from normal, and in the case of Louisiana wildfires, this August — unprecedented.
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The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission will host its next saddle microchipping event on Friday, September 22, from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. It will be held at the Rustic Sky Horse Camp, located at 30 Squyres Lane in Melder, Louisiana.
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The Louisiana official who leads the state’s wildfire fighting efforts says he will ask the legislature for more resources next year, including additional personnel and a tanker plane that can drop water on blazes. His pending request comes as emergency crews attempt to contain major fires in southwest Louisiana under persisting drought conditions.
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