Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has notified Governor John Bel Edwards Union Parish has now been declared a disaster area due to the ongoing drought that has plagued Louisiana the past several months.
Several contiguous parishes were also declared disaster areas: Claiborne, Lincoln, Morehouse and Ouachita.
Read MoreLouisiana milk production during the July - September 2023 quarter was 20.0 million pounds, down 9 percent from the same period in 2022 and down 31 percent from the April - June quarter. The average number of milk cows on farms during the quarter was 7,000 head, 1,000 head lower than the same period last year and 1,000 head lower than the previous quarter.
Read MoreThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking substantial strides to fortify the foundations of American agriculture with the announcement of $27.6 million in grants. This funding will be channeled into training, outreach, and technical assistance programs designed to empower underserved and veteran farmers, ranchers, and foresters, enabling them to thrive as the stewards of successful farms, ranches, and forest lands. Administered by the USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE), these funds signify a resolute commitment to fostering equity, inclusion, and accessibility to USDA programs and resources.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued more than $1.77 billion this year to agricultural producers and landowners through its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a critical piece of the Department’s efforts to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry on working lands. Right now, CRP’s more than 667,000 participants received payments from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) for their voluntary conservation efforts on more than 23 million acres of private land. Since 2021, CRP has grown by 21 percent in terms of acres enrolled, testament to the Biden-Harris administration’s program improvement efforts.
Read MoreThe US Department of Agriculture in its Oct. 12 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report reduced its estimate of 2022-23 US sugar supply, cut its forecast for 2023-24 supply and cut its projection of Mexico’s 2023-24 sugar production, dropping the US stocks-to-use ratios for both this year and last year.
Read MoreCorn and soybean production is down from September 2023, according to the Crop Production report issued today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Corn production is forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, down less than 1% from the previous forecast but up 10% from last year; soybean growers are expected to decrease their production 4% from 2022, forecast at 4.10 billion bushels.
Read MoreThis report contains the results from the 2023 October Ag Yield Survey
Read MoreThe head of USDA suggests one of the top requests for the 2023 Farm Bill might be too heavy a lift.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says updating reference prices for every commodity would cost $20 billion over ten years.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture are partnering to bring a drone training curriculum to high school students across the state.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to January 13, 2024, to give eligible farmers, ranchers and forest landowners more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was October 31, 2023.
Read MoreMillions of potential cover crop acres that may help reduce farming’s greenhouse gas emissions could be lost under a plan to shift $19.5 billion in Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, funding from conservation programs to increasing price guarantees for farm subsidy programs.
Although many of the states that got the most payments were in the Midwest, the state with the largest EQIP payments for cover crops was Tennessee, at $45.8 million. Louisiana was also in the top 10 states, at number nine, with almost $18.9 million.
Read MoreWith Louisiana battling record-breaking drought, farmers and ranchers are stuck with extra expenses to keep their crops and animals alive.
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., wants to expand relief under the Drought Assistance Improvement, allowing for quicker payments when times get tough.
Read MoreSecretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has notified Governor Jon Bell Edwards several more parishes in Louisiana have been declared disaster areas due to the ongoing drought.
A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary areas and those in parishes and counties contiguous to such primary areas eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency emergency loan assistance, provided eligibility requirements are met.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for October 2023, which are effective Oct. 2, 2023. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.
Read MoreThe August milk margin triggered the eighth consecutive payment for dairy producers who obtained Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) for the 2023 program year. August’s income over feed margin is $6.46 per hundredweight (cwt.) with projected DMC payments totaling $120 million. To date, including the projected August payments, dairy producers have received more than $1.2 billion in much needed economic support for 2023 and margin forecasts indicate the likelihood of more to come before the end of the calendar year.
Read More
