Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain talked to a St. Mary Chamber luncheon audience Wednesday about one state department. But he might have taken a line from “A Tale of Two Cities.”
For Louisiana farmers and the Agricultural and Forestry Department, this can be the best of times and the worst of times.
Read MoreWhen firefighters rushed from across the state to battle a massive wildfire in Beauregard Parish, a firefighter from Texas noticed something unsettling about his Louisiana colleagues: most of them had no idea what they were doing.
“They’d say ‘we’re just going to go hit it,’ and want to rush in,” said Taylor Lott, a volunteer firefighter in Beauregard who trained in wildland firefighting in his home state. “No, in the conditions we’re having and the fires we’re having, you can’t do that. There’s just a lot they didn’t understand.”
Read MoreOn October 23, Ammarian D. Reed of Tallulah, La., was arrested for livestock theft by inspectors with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission. The arrest was the result of warrants in both Madison and Richland parishes.
Read MoreOn Wednesday, October 25, 2023, starting at 8 AM, a burn ban will be in effect in Jackson Parish. The burn ban will prohibit all outdoor burning and will last until it is determined that the weather conditions are safe enough to lift the burn ban.
Violators of the burn ban may receive a $500 fine or face six months in jail. This ordinance does not apply to prescribed burns by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, by those trained and certified by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Read MoreThe State Fire Marshal’s Office has reported a brush fire in the Alexandria area that has caused at least one death.
SFM said the brush fire was reported to authorities around 1:30 p.m. in the 6100 block of LA 488, or the Twin Bridges Road area.
Read MoreAfter months of hard work and dedication, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) invites visitors to explore its new website. The new site URL is www.ldaf.la.gov.
The LDAF designed the new website to offer the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality while allowing stakeholders to see the full scope of services the agency provides to Louisiana.
Read MoreThe Louisiana open primary election, also known as a “jungle primary,” on Saturday [October 14], made it official - Mike Strain will serve a fifth term as Louisiana’s Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner. His reelection was already a foregone conclusion since he ran unopposed. Strain delivered an assessment, of sorts, on the challenges of 2023, while speaking before the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday [October 16].
Read MoreProjections show the saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico continues to push up the Mississippi River in the coming weeks, threatening the drinking water of thousands of people in Louisiana.
Farmers are also scrambling for ways to save their produce.
Commissioner for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain said Plaquemines Parish is the heartbeat of Louisiana’s citrus industry.
Read MoreOn October 3, 2023, agents with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission arrested 49-year-old Louis Michael Hess, of Houma, La., on a warrant for theft of livestock. The arrest resulted from an investigation conducted by Livestock Brand Inspectors and a subsequent arrest warrant from Tangipahoa Parish.
Read MoreOn 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.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) requests feedback about the new Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grant program.
Read MoreAgricultural 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.
Read MoreInvestigators 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreFollowing 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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