U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy spent this past Friday afternoon traversing the rich soil of Liuzza Produce Farm in Independence, hearing concerns from owner Joey Liuzza whose family has owned the business for several generations.

Cassidy, along with Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, a fellow Republican, spent much of the day visiting with farmers and state agricultural leaders, being provided a firsthand account of the challenges farmers are facing in a changing landscape.

You’ve probably heard of grass-fed cattle, but what about donut-fed cattle?

Louisiana Farm Bureau 2024 Young Farmers and Ranchers Outstanding Young Farm Woman of the Year Amanda Duhon is making sure everyone in her family, including her cattle, enjoy a sweet treat through the help of donuts.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) met with farmers and others in Louisiana’s agricultural industry with U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), the highest-ranking Republican member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. They participated in discussions and tours regarding Louisiana’s agricultural needs, in anticipation of a future Farm Bill.

The senators went to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation’s Baton Rouge headquarters to meet with officials with the Farm Bureau and various agricultural associations, including the American Sugarcane League, the Louisiana Cotton and Grain Association, Louisiana Rice Growers, the Louisiana Forestry Association, the Louisiana Loggers Association and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

What a wild ride Beryl was for parts of Louisiana. The National Weather Service in Shreveport and Lake Charles issued a combined 93 tornado warnings over their Parish/County warning areas. Those weren’t all in Louisiana, but at least 12 tornado tracks have been verified across Louisiana. Rainfall totals were manageable, and in most cases, beneficial across the state. And now, it’s right back to summer in Louisiana.

Thanks to Buck Leonards and the staff at Louisiana Farm and Ranch for providing the digital edition of the latest issue.

Recently, there’s been speculation about whether there will be another special session of the Louisiana legislature in 2024. It brings to mind the question of how many licks it takes to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop, with the answer being three.

Interestingly, this legislative body has already gone through three sessions in 2024, and we are only halfway through the year. The legislators, who want to spend time with their families, are reluctant to return to Baton Rouge for another session. A second reason to not convene again is that the leges are exhausted from these three sessions, and the most obvious reason is, "for what?"

Twenty-four of Louisiana’s most poised and talented ladies representing various parishes competed for the coveted crown. Eager to represent the organization for the upcoming year, this year’s slate of contestants participated in multiple rounds of competition, which included both interviews and evening gown presentations.

Parks native Hannah Devall takes home a title at the 2024 Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention held in New Orleans.

What started out as Devall’s high school passion led her to win the Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Meet Contest which focuses on cooperation, teamwork and critical thinking.

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.