Commercial citrus growers have dwindled over the past few decades in south Louisiana, where farmers have had to battle hurricanes, flooding, invasive insects, freezes and drought to keep their groves alive.
The latest hurdle comes from a slow-moving threat — a mass influx of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico that is creeping up the drought-stricken Mississippi River.
Read MoreU.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced two bills to protect Louisiana rice and shrimp against China and India’s dumping of cheap shrimp and produce into U.S. markets. The Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act and the India Shrimp Tariff Act will both protect the Louisiana agricultural industry while ensuring that food that appears on U.S. store shelves meets U.S. health standards.
Read MoreIn a summer replete with challenges for Louisiana farmers as they’ve dealt with a heatwave and extended drought conditions, there is finally some good news on the agricultural front. The state’s sweet potato crop is doing just fine, and although harvest may be slightly delayed this year, some producers are expecting bumper yields.
Read MoreOn any given day, Mark Mese can field messages from growers and nursery owners around the world about acquiring some of the hundreds of plants in his Baton Rouge nursery. Mese, a retired attorney, has about 3,000 square feet of greenhouses on his property, where he carefully tends each day to bromeliads, rare ferns, begonias, succulents and more.
Read MoreThere is an age-old debate about how to pronounce “pecan.” The pronunciation of the word changes across state lines, and sometimes even depending on how a person is using the word.
But in Louisiana, there’s not much debate. It’s “puh-kaan,” as could be heard in the Louisiana Legislature this session when lawmakers unanimously voted to make the pecan the official state nut.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter will hold a field day featuring the latest sweet potato research and industry updates Aug. 31.
The event will be held at Black Gold Farms at 2305 La. Highway 17 in Delhi. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with field tours to follow at 9 a.m. The program will conclude with a sponsored lunch provided by Lamb Weston.
Read MoreA fresh tomato on a lunchtime sandwich. A cool slice of watermelon on the patio. Fresh peppers tossed into a pot to season an evening meal.
Thanks to Louisiana’s soil conditions and adequate rainfall, it’s easy to find these types of specialty crops at local farmers markets, roadside stands and some stores. This year, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) is celebrating these crops and those who grow them, which creates an ecosystem that has economic benefits for people across the state.
Read MoreA fresh tomato on a lunchtime sandwich. A cool slice of watermelon on the patio. Fresh peppers tossed into a pot to season an evening meal.
Thanks to Louisiana’s soil conditions and adequate rainfall, it’s easy to find these types of specialty crops at local farmers markets, roadside stands and some stores.
Read MoreTo get to Eros, Louisiana, you pass through a literal one-stoplight town, but otherwise, the drive is largely rural. Drive far enough, and you eventually find the DeLaTerre Permaculture Farm — a 43-acre homestead. Its name translates to “of the earth” in French.
Read MoreOnce they got started, Louisiana sweet potato farmers made quick work of planting this year’s crop. LSU AgCenter reporter Craig Gautreaux has this report from northeast Louisiana.
Read MoreAmid 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.
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