Posts in Specialty crops
“Berry” Cool Weather Calls for Louisiana’s Strawberry Farmers to Get To Planting

Strawberries, Louisiana’s state fruit is planted in early fall. Strawberry farmers anticipate harvesting in the spring.

William Fletcher is one of three strawberry farmers left in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

“It is a difficult industry to be in. There are more stable paychecks to be had outside of farming,” Fletcher said. “And, to be quite honest with you, land is worth a whole lot in certain areas of the state.”

Farms in Louisiana have dropped 9% according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service census. Expensive land sold to developers turns into subdivisions and shopping malls.

Read More
Specialty cropskristen oaks
Hurricane Ida Slammed Louisiana’s Citrus Crop, but It’s Still Possible to Find Fruit

This time of year, south Louisiana locavores usually begin shopping for local citrus to use in everything from brunch mimosas to sweet potato soufflé tucked in orange halves. But the lingering impacts of Hurricane Ida are going to make it harder to source those juicy naval oranges and grapefruits this fall, say agriculture experts.

Last month, the LSU AgCenter reported the loss of an estimated $584 million within the state’s collective agriculture industry due to Ida, a Category 4 storm that made landfall near Port Fouchon on Aug. 29. Louisiana citrus groves, some of which had already been damaged from Hurricane Zeta in 2020, saw significant damage from Ida’s continuing onslaught of wind and salt water intrusion, as well as from a thick layer of mud and sludge left after the storm.

Read More
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission will Soon Turn 70

In 2022, the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission will celebrate its 70th year representing sweet potato growers, shippers, processors and bankers by educating consumers on the yam’s many nutritional attributes and versatility.

“The alluvium soils of Louisiana produce a high-quality product and our growers have been doing it a long time,” said Rene Simon, director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. “We also have the added benefit of the LSU Ag Center Sweet Potato Research Station, which is dedicated fully to sweet potatoes. Our growers have that knowledge available to them.”

Read More
USDA Invests $700 million to Provide Relief to Small Producers, Processors, Distributors, Farmers Markets and Seafood Processing Vessels and Processors Impacted by COVID-19

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for new grant programs - the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program - to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Read More