Move over tractors and crop dusters, the future of farming is now at Apple Farm Service, Covington. The agriculture and construction equipment business unveiled new equipment that is helping farmers get the most out of their fields.
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According to officials, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced that the state of Louisiana will receive a total of $1,540,415 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Secure Rural Schools program to help towards schools, roads and other municipal services.
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Citing statistics that show most students of color are sickened by the milk school cafeterias must serve, Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter has filed a bill to require schools to offer dairy alternatives during mealtimes.
Carter’s is but one of several bills in Congress and nearly half of the state Legislatures across the U.S. this year addressing controversies about dairy milk and the 77-year-old federal system that reimburses schools for giving milk to their students.
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The USDA-NASS survey reported that two percent of the Louisiana soybean crop was planted by March 19, 2023. The warm and dry weather during early March allowed producers to plant their corn crop early and then begin planting soybean. Unfortunately, on March 20th, the temperature dropped to approximately 28 degrees Fahrenheit in Northeast Louisiana. Soybean tissue death can occur if the temperature falls to 28 degrees Fahrenheit for more than four hours, especially if the unifoliate leaves are exposed (Vann and Stokes, 2020).
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Volume 13, Issue 2—April, 2023
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Ruben John Dauzat, Outstanding Master Farmer of the Year in 2014 and a 2016 inductee into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction, passed away at his home in Marksville on April 13th.
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There were no major surprises in the March 31st USDA Prospective Plantings report, but the March 1st Quarterly Grain Stock report was seen as somewhat of a surprise “missing the mark” for corn and soybean stocks. Historically the April WASDE is not a major report, but the USDA reduced South America production, which could increase U.S. export demand and therefore reduce U.S. and major exporter ending stocks. As such, the market continues to trade tightness in ending stocks for the 2022/23 marketing year. As the market digests the plantings and stocks reports, focus now shifts to weather and U.S. planting progress.
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Tony's Seafood Market and Deli sold over 100,000 pounds of crawfish in the two days leading up to Easter Sunday.
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Farmers in six states would be hurt hardest if Mexico follows through with its proposed ban on genetically modified corn.
Ohio State University professor Ian Sheldon says Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, and Louisiana are the top exporters to Mexico.
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Sink said crawfish have fared better in Texas than Louisiana this year. Sizes were below average in Louisiana this year due to weather, but crawfish have been consistently bigger in Texas during the early season.
Drought conditions and the impacts of winter freezes were worse in Louisiana production areas compared to Southeast Texas, he said. Dry conditions forced crawfish to remain in burrows for long periods, which meant they were foraging and growing less. Winter freezes in early winter also killed back vegetation, which compounded their lack of winter foraging.
A free Farm Pond Construction and Management Workshop will be offered on April 21, 2023, at Red Oak Lake near Haughton, Louisiana. Engineer Jacob Paul and biologist Jeff Sibley will discuss pond planning and construction, water quality, weed control, nutrient issues, pond stocking, and information on USDA NRCS technical and financial assistance. Jacob Paul is an engineer with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Jeff Sibley is a fisheries biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
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Strawberry 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.
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The preliminary injunction means WOTUS is no longer the law of the land in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the decision was welcome news for his state’s agriculture industry.
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