Federal food policy changes and a homegrown farming innovation that’s improving water quality in Acadiana highlighted this week’s Sugar Conference at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation’s 103rd Annual Convention.
The two-hour session drew growers, processors, and policymakers from across the state to hear updates on issues shaping the future of Louisiana’s $4 billion sugarcane industry. While several speakers focused on farm policy and economic conditions, two key topics stood out.
Read MoreA third generation cattle farmer from Lacassine took home the top prize at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Talk Meet Contest in New Orleans.
Last year Camille Sonnier, 18, was in second place in the competition but this time around she won the whole competition, beating out 15 other contestants.
Read MoreCourtney Gerace nurtures land, cattle and five children in Melville, a lifestyle she never knew she wanted until marrying her husband, Nicholas.
But now Gerace, who was named Louisiana's top young woman farmer during the annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans, can't image doing anything else.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation (LFBF) hosted its 103rd Annual Convention here this weekend with record breaking participation and key discussions around critical challenges and opportunities for Louisiana agriculture. A longtime rice farmer and agricultural leader from Evangeline Parish, Richard Fontenot, was re-elected as the LFBF president for 2025 and presided over the convention.
Read MoreIt’s Convention week! You know what that means. It’s going to be hot and humid with a chance of storms each day. I think I could recycle that sentence and use it for the next few months. The good news is, I don’t see a chance for tropical development in the next 10 days. In fact, The Climate Prediction Center shows below normal precipitation across the Caribbean over the first half of July. That’s one of the areas we look at for development, and I think we are all just fine with it looking quiet over the next few weeks.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Farm Bureau is gearing up for its largest annual convention ever, with over 1,500 farmers and their families registered to attend the four-day event in New Orleans.
The 103rd LFBF convention will take place from June 26-29 at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal St. High-profile elected officials, including 5th District Congressman Clay Higgins, are slated to attend. Members will also participate in officer elections, attend a wide variety of conferences, and witness the crowning of the next Louisiana Farm Bureau Queen.
Read MoreLouisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot today issued the following statement in support of essential farm programs included in H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" and the Senate Ag Committee’s budget reconciliation language.
“Every issue is a local issue. The debate over the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ may be happening in Washington, D.C., but we’re hearing from farmers, ranchers and bankers in Louisiana who say we’re going to have fewer people in agriculture if Congress does not act soon.”
Read MoreDylan and Shelby Laster’s farm in Marion is a place where tradition meets innovation, where technology works hand-in-hand with hard work, and where family roots run deep. As finalists for the Louisiana Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award, the Lasters are not just raising chickens and cattle — they’re raising a future.
Read MoreAs crawfish season comes to a close across south Louisiana, farmers like Jonathan Fontenot in Evangeline Parish are already thinking about next year’s catch.
At least for K&K Ag Partnership where he works, Fontenot says the season has been a good one.
Read MoreA core part of the economy in Central Louisiana, which includes Avoyelles Parish, comes from agriculture. It is why third-grade agriculture teacher Chantelle Hataway from Lafargue Elementary School is exposing her classes to what agriculture is, and how it is an integral part of society and grows the local economy.
Read MoreLouisiana farmers and ranchers will not have to add meters to water wells thanks to amendments offered by Senator Bob Hensgens, author of a bill to restructure the Department of Natural Resources and rename it the Department of Conservation and Energy.
Staff at Louisiana Farm Bureau discovered the provisions in Senate Bill 244 last week dealing with water regulation that did not exempt agriculture from those regulations.
Read MoreOn the heels of a historic trade win, a coalition representing four American food industries praised President Trump's "America First" leadership, while calling for targeted tariffs on imported honey, catfish, crawfish, and shrimp to counter years of predatory trade practices.
Read MoreSen. John Kennedy (R-La), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today reintroduced the Crawfish Recovery Assistance from Weather Disasters and Droughts (CRAWDAD) Act. The bill would support Louisiana crawfish jobs when severe weather puts strain on the industry.
Read MoreLouisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot issued the following statement in response to the appointment of Craig McCain as State Executive Director for the Louisiana Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Read MoreMultiple rounds of thunderstorms will impact Louisiana over the next few days, with a nice lull, and some cooler air after the storms move out by late Saturday. Heavy rains upstream could prolong flooding conditions in some areas, but we’ll have to see how much rain falls in each river basin before we get a good handle on future flooding.
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