March 15 Last Day to Complete Enrollment for 2021 Agriculture Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage Programs
Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2021 must do so by March 15. Producers who have not yet signed a 2021 enrollment contract or who want to make an election change should contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to make an appointment. Program enrollment for 2021 is required in order to participate in the programs, but elections for the 2021 crop year are optional and otherwise remain the same as elections made for 2020.
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Piano Keys From Rice?
Rice farming was well established in Louisiana but was just getting started in east Texas in 1900, when Texas Farm and Ranch magazine sent W. C. Moore to get some tips on how it should be done.
He found that “the outlook for rice culture was never brighter” in south Louisiana, partly because farmers had learned how to efficiently irrigate their crops, partly because the United States was still a heavy importer of rice and offered big marketing opportunities — and also because millers used every little part of a rice kernel.
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Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce Planning Drive-Thru Farmers' Appreciation Lunch
The Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce will continue its tradition of honoring the area’s farming community, though this year it will be a little different.
“Although not our usual event, we are planning to host a Farmers’ Appreciation Lunch on Friday, Feb. 19,” according to a release from the Chamber office.
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2021 Pesticide Applicators Recertification Classes
Louisiana pesticide applicator recertification looks a little different than in years past. Beginning in the late summer of 2020 the LSU AgCenter worked with Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) to provide different options for commercial pesticide applicators to become recertified to meet state and federal requirements.
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LATMC Webinars Coming Soon
Several Webinars about crops to be grown this upcoming season have been scheduled by the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association.
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Crawfish Season Off to a Good Start with Mild Temperatures
Conditions are good for the crawfish season that is about to kick into harvest season.
“It looks like conditions were all pretty good for what looks like a good crawfish season,” said Todd Fontenot, Evangeline Parish county agent.
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Louisiana Rice: Big Changes In Varieties On Tap For '21
There are a handful of new rice varieties and rice hybrids that will be available in 2021 that will change the landscape of the rice grown in Louisiana. There are also a few rice varieties and hybrids that will virtually disappear in the coming season. I will do my best to cover the biggest variety and hybrid changes for 2021 in each rice class below.
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Louisiana Rice: Changes In Available Fungicides
Fungicides are important tools in rice disease management. All too often sheath blight, blast, grain smuts or Cercospora require a fungicide application to reduce damage below economic levels. Fungicides are specific to what diseases they control, along with the growth stage they are applied at to be effective.
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Louisiana Rice: Insecticidal Seed Treatment Considerations
In today’s industry, rice farmers need to consider pest management strategies well before rice is planted. Insecticidal seed treatments have become central to rice pest management programs in recent years, and deciding which product to select will determine how pest control is approached during the growing season.
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LSU AgCenter Researcher Aims to Pinpoint Disease Resistance Gene in Rice
An LSU AgCenter plant pathologist will use a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pinpoint the location of a gene in rice that could help farmers control a potentially devastating plant disease.
“Our goal is to characterize the resistance to narrow brown leaf spot at the genetic and functional level,” said Jonathan Richards.
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Have Farm Program Payments Affected The Distribution Of Crop Acres?
Different farm program payments across crops have been an on-going US farm policy issue, with the focus often on high per acre payments to cotton, peanuts, and rice. Coppess discusses this issue extensively. An important economic question is, “Have different payments impacted the geographical distribution of US crops?”
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USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited Release 2020 Annual Report
American rice farmers faced numerous challenges in 2020, from record rainfall, swollen river basins, a relentless hurricane season for the Gulf of Mexico, unprecedented wildfires in the West, and a global pandemic. Despite these obstacles, rice farmers produced an abundant crop across the six major rice-growing states.
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Biden Administration Lifts Travel Restrictions for Temporary Farm Workers Just in Time
The U.S. Department of State granted a national interest exemption for H-2A and some H-2B workers from South Africa. Earlier this week President Biden signed a proclamation that limits and prohibits travel to the U.S. from certain countries, including South Africa, due to the COVID pandemic.
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Crawfish Season Looks Promising
Conditions are good for the crawfish season that is about to kick into harvest season.
“It looks like conditions were all pretty good for what looks like a good crawfish season,” said Todd Fontenot, Evangeline Parish county agent.
Reports from farmers are coming in slow right now, he said.
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New Administration Could Mean New Hope for Rice Market in Cuba
Following President Joe Biden’s inauguration last week, one potential opportunity for change in foreign policy is the U.S. relationship with Cuba.
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