The LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station will host a soil health forum on March 17.
The forum is supported by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and National Resource Conservation Service. The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation awarded a grant to the LSU AgCenter to fund a four-year research project on reducing nutrient runoff from crop fields.
Read MoreLSU AgCenter researchers shared their latest findings during an online continuing education program for the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association Feb. 10 to 11.
Read MoreThe 2021 Louisiana crawfish season started off on a slow note as producers hoped to rebound from a double whammy caused by coronavirus-induced restaurant closures and last year’s series of hurricanes.
As crews return from the holidays and harvest ramps up, Louisiana State University AgCenter Extension crawfish specialist Mark Shirley said it’s unknown how much impact the previous year’s storms will have on production.
Read MoreThree fixtures in Louisiana agriculture will be inducted into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction during a ceremony at L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge on March 4.
The new inductees are former Louisiana Farm Bureau President Ronnie Anderson, of Ethel; sugarcane farmer John Gay, of Plaquemine; and Paul “Jackie” Loewer, of Branch, a rice farmer who has been a strong advocate for the rice industry in state and national organizations.
Read MoreThe February USDA WASDE report did not elicit the pronounced market reaction observed last month. However, the grains exhibited technical selling in the futures market. With that, the corn and soybean markets will be watching for changes in South American production (weather) and export activity which could trigger technical influence in the market as the U.S. planting season approaches.
Read MoreThe U.S. rice industry is rightly proud of its sustainability record, growing more rice on less land with less inputs and without the use of genetically modified plants. You can bet any industry taking a leadership role in sustainability and conservation is not going to be the kind of industry that rests on its laurels. And you would be right.
Read MoreAgricultural 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.
Read MoreRice 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreLouisiana 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.
Read MoreSeveral Webinars about crops to be grown this upcoming season have been scheduled by the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association.
Read MoreConditions 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.
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.
Read MoreFungicides 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.
Read MoreIn 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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