The annual "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico along Louisiana's coast -- an area with oxygen levels so low that it can kill fish and marine life -- has been measured at 3,058 square miles this year, nearly as large as Yellowstone National Park, NOAA and a team of scientists from LSU and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium announced Wednesday.
Read MoreWondering if your parish has an active burn ban? The State Fire Marshal is making it easy to find out.
"In the past few days, we've had an increase in questions about the SFM issuing parish-specific burn bans due to the extreme heat/dryness or even if we keep tabs on parishes that declare their own burn bans," a post on the SFM Facebook page says.
Read MoreSmall projects can have a big impact when it comes to providing people safe spaces for exercising and enjoying the outdoors.
In the Washington Parish town of Franklinton, one of those projects was recently completed. Thanks to the LSU AgCenter, the town government and community partners, several benches along with signs featuring instructions for simple exercises and tips for pedestrian safety have been installed.
Read MoreMcNeese State University student Tanner Broussard spent his summer with wolves.
Broussard, a junior natural resource conservation management major from Sulphur, interned at the Wildlife Science Center in Stacy, Minnesota.
Read MoreNever, ever, ever, under any circumstances buy crawfish or shrimp or any other seafood for that matter from China. You won't believe what they do to their food!
I've written about this before. I believe it should be illegal to sell crawfish or shrimp from China in Louisiana. I don't care if seafood from Louisiana costs more. It's called quality and now we know it's called safety, but I'll get to that in a minute.
Read MoreJames “Jim” Simon of New Iberia was honored as the recipient of the Kermit Coulon Sr. Outstanding Service Award at the 62nd St. James Appreciation Supper held in Vacherie at the Westbank Reception Hall July 27.
Leonard “Lenny” Waguespack, committee chair of the St. James Parish Agricultural Tour, said Simon was an obvious choice.
Read MoreIn 2018, the Seeds to Success Program held its inaugural School Garden Leadership Workshop. The workshop takes place each summer over several days and consists of hands-on learning and lectures to help educators learn how to build and sustain a school garden while incorporating farm to school programming into their curriculum.
Read MoreCattle and timber are big farm commodities in Tangipahoa Parish, and both have suffered.
Prices for timber have dipped in recent years. And the droughts in Louisiana this summer have halted grass growth to the point where farmers may have to turn to hay to feed cattle instead.
Read MoreHot weather across the cotton belt is creating uncertainty about the size of the US crop, said Shawn Wade, director of policy analysis and research at Plains Cotton Growers. “It could be anywhere between 14 million bale to 16 million bale crops. You’ve got some pretty high temperatures settling into parts of Louisiana, Mississippi.”
Read MoreThere are more feral hogs in Louisiana than there are people in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport combined. That’s over 900,000 pigs, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates.
Read MoreEach school day in the United States, approximately 29.6 million children eat lunch at school. The food necessary to prepare these meals on a daily basis makes K-12 sales a unique opportunity for farmers and ranchers to service their local institutions. This venture into local food systems is part of a nationwide farm to school movement.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for August 2023, which are effective Aug. 1, 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 MoreThis report contains the results from the Crop Progress and Condition weekly survey. The survey is completed by parish extension agents’ visual observations and contact with producers in their parish.
Read MoreU.S. sugarcane producers watching historically high world raw sugar prices can expect both the world and domestic markets will stay healthy in the long-term, LSU agricultural economist Michael Deliberto said.
That’s good news for farmers hoping to capitalize on an improved profit opportunity.
Read MoreThe Calcasieu Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has upgraded Tuesday’s weather advisory to an excessive heat warning area-wide. An excessive heat watch remains in effect for Wednesday. Both hazards are valid from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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