With everything you have on your “to do” list, it can be easy to forget about signing up for USDA programs. FSA’s Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) are two key safety net programs created to protect farmers from significant losses due to fluctuations in crop price or revenue. Don’t delay!
Read MoreThis report contains the results from the Crop Progress and Condition weekly survey.
Read MoreUSDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency can’t yet quantify how farmers will be impacted by President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs. According to her, the full impact may not be known until late summer or even early fall, well after planting season.
Read MoreSome farmers are feeling the effects of Trump’s freeze on programs under the farm bill.
“We should be at the top, not at the bottom, and right now we’re sold out by bad decisions our government has made,” said Matt Frey with Four Oaks Farms in Morganza.
Frey says the prices of everything today make it hard to be a farmer, one of Louisiana’s top industries.
Read MoreThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated April 2025 as Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month. This year’s campaign spotlights how citizen-driven, cost-efficient strategies can protect one of our Nation’s most valuable assets: healthy, abundant crops.
Invasive pests are sneaky and can hitch a ride unseen on everyday items, from outdoor gear and vehicles to agricultural products bought online from overseas.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is launching agricultural trade promotion programs for FY 2026 and accepting applications for four export market development programs. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service has opened funding opportunities for the Market Access Program (MAP), Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program (TASC), and Emerging Markets Program (EMP) that will help U.S. agricultural producers promote and sell their goods internationally.
Read MoreFarming is risky, ARC and PLC can help! You may be eligible for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which provide vital income support to farmers who experience substantial declines in crop price or revenue.
Read MoreDeRidder corn and wheat farmer David Smith said he wanted to try out something new this year on his farm. He started tinkering with the idea of adding cover crops over small acreages but wanted to expand it to hundreds of acres.
"It is not a money-making thing. In fact, you spend money. You just want to improve your soil," Smith said.
Read MoreThis week Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced USDA is releasing more previously obligated funding that was paused during the early days of the Trump administration. But the announcement comes with a catch. Rollins says impacted recipients now have 30 days to review and voluntarily revise their project plans to align with a Trump executive order.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for April 2025, which are effective April 1, 2025. USDA 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 MoreLouisiana corn producers intend to plant 530,000 acres, up 13 percent from the 470,000 acres planted in 2024. Upland cotton acreage intentions are at 110,000 acres, down 29 percent from the 155,000 acres planted last year. All hay acres expected to be harvested in Louisiana are estimated at 380,000 acres, up 10,000 acres from 2024.
Read MoreProducers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 95.3 million acres of corn in 2025, up 5% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
Planted acreage intentions for corn are up or unchanged in 40 of the 48 estimating states.
Read MoreThe United States Department of Agriculture is following through on its promise to get funds into farmers’ hands quickly through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), according to Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot. He expressed those sentiments in a letter he sent to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
Read MoreMonday, the USDA released the 2025 Prospective Plantings report. In the report, the agency said U.S. farmers will plant nearly 5 million more corn acres in 2025 compared with last year.
Read MoreAgricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2025 crop year have until April 15, 2025, to revise elections and sign contracts.
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