The Farmer's Forecast: Watching Beryl
All eyes are on Hurricane Beryl. Here’s how I see things going for Louisiana.
Beryl will likely maintain major hurricane status as it approaches Jamaica. There will be some weakening over the next few days, but it looks like a Jamaica landfall, or very close call will happen, causing some big problems there today. After that the forecast track takes Hurricane Beryl just south of Cancun and Cozumel sometime Thursday night. If that happens, Beryl would spend around 12 hours over land, and would likely weaken to a strong tropical storm, or minimal hurricane.
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Solar Power, Farm Bill, Sugar Program Affects Louisiana Sugarcane
Landowners need to be very careful when approached by solar power developers and do their due diligence before signing on the dotted line, advised an energy expert attorney at the June 29 sugar commodity meeting at the 102nd Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau convention at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel.
Only about 25 percent of all the proposed solar projects will ever come to fruition said Emory Belton, an energy attorney from Baton Rouge.
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Louisiana Farm Bureau Just Wrapped Up Its Annual Meeting to Discuss State Industry Issues
Many state Farm Bureau organizations are holding their annual meetings.
The Louisiana Farm Bureau just wrapped up theirs where everything from crawfish to row crops are discussed.
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Vermilion Parish Couple Named Louisiana's Top Young Farmers
Aaron and Jamie Lee of Vermilion Parish have been named the 2024 Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award Winners, the highest honor given by the Louisiana Farm Bureau to individual farmers each year.
The Lees won the award during the organization’s 102nd Annual Convention here at the Marriott on Canal St. Thursday night during the Organizational Awards. The young couple are sixth-generation sugarcane, livestock, rice, and crawfish farmers who will now go on to compete for the national title in January 2025 at the American Farm Bureau convention in San Antonio, Texas.
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Vermilion Parish Wins Big at 102nd Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention
The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation culminated the opening night of its 102nd Annual Convention with Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau capturing the President’s Award for the fifth straight year.
The President’s Award recognizes the parish Farm Bureau that excels in membership, advocacy and communications over the past year. Louisiana Farm Bureau President Jim Harper presented the award to Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau President Bryan Simon Thursday night at the New Orleans Marriott.
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102nd Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention Underway
The 102nd Annual Convention of the Louisiana Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, is underway here at the Marriott Hotel on Canal St.
The convention will see 1,500 farm families attend during the four-day event, which includes contests, commodity conferences, youth activities and a host of guest speakers, including politicians. Expected to attend this year is U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., Commissioner of Ag and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain and Commissioner of Insurance Tim Temple.
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The Farmer's Forecast: It's Convention Time!
It’s convention time, so let’s jump in with a New Orleans forecast for everyone that will be gathering down there this weekend! It looks like a very New Orleans weekend with loads of humidity, plenty of heat, and daily rain chances. Rain should keep highs around 90 each day, with lows only falling into the upper 70s. Some of the most refreshing moments will be the time immediately after thunderstorms in the afternoon.
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Challenges in Farming: Mental Health Struggles Among Farmers
Farming is a vital occupation that helps to ensure fresh produce on our tables, but at the same time comes with immense pressures that often go unnoticed.
According to the American Farm Bureau, farmers are 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the national average.
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Rescue Tubes Can Prevent Suffocation Deaths in Grain Bins
Nearly 200 people have suffocated in grain bins in the U.S. in the past 30 years, according to Texas A&M.
The Louisiana Farm Bureau and the Louisiana Fire and Rescue Academy have compiled a list of all grain safety rescue tubes in the state. There are 25 in the state and only one here in Southwest Louisiana.
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Louisiana Farm Bureau and LFETA Compile List of All Grain Bin Rescue Tubes in the State
Louisiana Farm Bureau and the Louisiana Fire and Emergency Training Academy have compiled a list of all grain bin rescue tubes in the state and their locations.
There are currently 25 grain bin rescue tubes in the state. Seventeen are owned by fire departments. The remaining eight are owned by companies that operate grain elevators.
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The Farmer's Forecast: Already More Rain Than 2023
Parts of Louisiana have already seen more rain than they did all of 2023. We are just a few days over 5 months into the year, or about 43% through the year, and we are either close to, or above what we saw all 12 months of last year. If you are reading this, you are aware of this, but this is a good way for me to put into perspective how dry it was last year vs. how wet it is this year. The good news is, it seems like we are going to get a few, mostly dry days going forward.
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Louisiana Sugar Cane Farmers Want a Stalemated Congress to Pass the Farm Bill
Vermilion Parish sugar cane farmer Kyle Zenon put on his Sunday church suit to haunt the halls of Capitol Hill in a quest to push a gridlocked Congress into passing the stalled Farm Bill.
Though subsidies, loans, insurance and other measures handled in the Farm Bill are important to all farmers in Louisiana, it’s the legislation’s “sugar policy” that worries Zenon.
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Smiley Anders, Columnist Beloved by Generations of Advocate Readers, Former Louisiana Farm Bureau News Editor, Dies at 86
Year after year, people have started their mornings with Smiley.
His column — a daily collection of funny, odd and nostalgic anecdotes submitted by his many readers and deftly spun into an entertaining whole — captured the spirit of south Louisiana.
After more than 50 years of writing for The Advocate, Smiley Anders died Friday at his home in Spanish Town in Baton Rouge. He was 86.
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Feasting on Agriculture -- Thirsty Farmer Winery & Vineyard
Full disclosure, Savannah and I went to school together. However, when I saw they had built a vineyard and winery in our hometown, I knew that I wanted to feature it in one of our Feasting on Agriculture segments.
Thirsty Farmer’s story does start in a more familiar wine country. After a trip to California’s wine country in 2015, the couple decided to try their hand at growing grapes and winemaking back home. Michael planted more than 150 vines of their favorite wine grapes, but the crop was not exactly successful.
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The Farmer's Forecast: The Return of Rain
Rain has returned to the state, which feels like mixed news, depending on who you talk to. It feels like we went from too wet, to too dry, and back to wet, with no time in the middle. It looks like more rain is on the way, as well as at least some threat for severe weather.
The pattern we are in is typical for late spring into the first days of summer. A northwesterly flow aloft is carrying disturbances that will interact with plenty of moisture and instability.
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