Amid the long commercial thoroughfares and sprawling subdivisions of New Orleans East is a little oasis of fruit trees, chickens and row after of row of leafy greens that Thanh Nguyen tends to so closely that they brush the brim of her wide sun hat.
“It’s hard work but I enjoy it,” Thanh, 77, said in Vietnamese as her 81-year-old husband, Tham, tinkered with a finicky rototiller. “And for (Tham), his doctor said it’s good for him to not just be sitting at home.”
Read MoreVegetable growers all over Louisiana are facing southern bacterial wilt and bacterial spot in tomatoes and pepper production.
LSU AgCenter plant doctor Raj Singh said Southern bacterial wilt is caused by the soil-borne bacterium, Ralstonia solanacearum.
Read MoreFestivalgoers will find Harris Seafood at the entrance of the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, but they will also find Harris Farm strawberries.
Read MoreStrawberry farmer Rhonda Poche describes herself as a professional gambler.
"It just runs in my blood, and we have to keep it going," said Poche.
And Mother Nature usually spins the roulette wheel.
Read MoreIt’s the peak of strawberry season in Louisiana, and the bright red fruit is being harvested in fields across southeast Louisiana. LSU AgCenter reporter Craig Gautreaux has this report from Livingston Parish.
Read MoreThe strawberry crop is coming in at full blast right now, with some growers calling it one of their best crops.
Read MoreArthur Villordon, a researcher at the LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, has received this year’s National Sweet Potato Impact Award for his accomplishments and contributions to the sweet potato industry.
This award was presented recently at the annual meeting of the National Sweet Potato Collaborators Group.
Read MoreHoney production during 2022 from Louisiana producers with five or more colonies totaled 2.56 million pounds, up 19 percent from 2021. There were 42,000 honey producing colonies in 2022, up 5,000 colonies from previous year.
Read MoreYou can’t have just one. Potato chips are America’s classic snack: crunchy, salty, greasy, and tasting of potato or flavored with things like sour cream, vinegar, BBQ, maple bacon, or Cajun dill. And today, on March 14, chip lovers across the country can celebrate them on National Potato Chip Day.
Read MoreAs we approach the peak of strawberry season, Springfield strawberry farmer, Trey Harris said it’s been a tough year so far weather-wise. He said production is down from this time last year, but the current unseasonably warm temps are speeding things up.
Read MoreGreaux the Good, a new statewide market match nutrition incentive program, has allowed the St. Helena Farmers Market to increase the capacity of its previous Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) incentive program.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is looking to make growers and innovators in Louisiana more ambitious when it comes to producing specialty crops, such as vegetables, dried fruits, nursery crops or citrus products.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating more than $70 million to support 350 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program as part of a nationwide effort to strengthen the country’s infrastructure for pest detection, surveillance, and mitigation, as well as protect the U.S. nursery system. Universities, states, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits and Tribal organizations will carry out selected projects in 48 states, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Read MoreWhen brother/sister duo Cecil and Cora Mae Gregg became entranced by beekeeping over the course of an idle summer, their parents encouraged them to get involved.
With one caveat: they had to figure it out themselves.
Read MoreThe farm bill has increasingly addressed issues facing specialty crop producers in Title X. Over recent decades, more program supporting specialty crop producers have been created. As discussions ramp up for the 2023 farm bill, it is important to consider the unique market challenges facing specialty crop producers and the current farm bill provisions in place to make informed future recommendations.
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