Once again, this historic city of 12,000 in southwest Louisiana became the center of the rice world last week with tens of thousands gathering here to celebrate the great grain with four days of music, competitions, and more for the 86th International Rice Festival (IRF). This year's theme, “Rice…A Farming Family Tradition,” was chosen by Festival President Kevin Spell, and it proved exceedingly prescient.
Read MoreWith the drought continuing, an unattended trash fire in Ascension Parish spread to a nearby home with occupants and an infant inside on Saturday.
According to the St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department's online post, there were no reported injuries. However, officials urge Louisiana residents to be mindful of current dry weather conditions.
Read MoreIt's a time filled with live bands, carnival rides and of course, festival food. It's also a time to remember the struggles that rice farmers faced this year with the drought and high temperatures effecting rice crops and the industry.
KATC spoke with one family who has been rice farming for 6 generations and hopes to pass on the love of rice and stress the importance of it for the future generations to come.
Read MoreA series of year-long weather events have put added stress on weaker and older pine trees, leading to their demise, according to Carol Pinnell-Allison, LSU AgCenter Extension agent.
While traveling through Concordia, Catahoula, Franklin, and Tensas parishes, dead or dying pine trees can be seen scattered throughout the landscape. Trees with brown-needles are a stark contrast against the dark green evergreens.
Read MoreTake a captivating journey through Louisiana Agriculture with LSU AgCenter’s AgMagic at the State Fair of Louisiana! AgMagic is an interactive and educational experience for young children and their families. Kids will learn about the important connections among agriculture, the environment, and their lives.
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 MoreFifteen farm and ranch women leaders graduated from the fall session of Women’s Communications Boot Camp hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
The agricultural leaders completed an intensive four-day course that featured hands-on sessions focused on public speaking, working with the media and messaging. Program graduates will use their training to strategically support Farm Bureau’s priority issues.
Read MoreHundreds of pounds of sugar fell from a conveyor belt into a warehouse, piling in a massive heap.
“It’s raining sugar,” said Charles Schudmak, chief operating officer at the Cora Texas Manufacturing Co. in White Castle.
But as big as the pile was Tuesday, it was still a fraction of what it would be by the end of the harvest season.
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 MoreLouisiana Central is thrilled to announce the graduation of participants from the 2023 Farmer Training Program. The graduation ceremony took place at the Louisiana Central office on September 14, 2023, marking a significant milestone for the Farm & Food Program and the aspiring farmers it serves.
Read MoreAs climate change intensifies extreme heat, farms are becoming less hospitable to nesting birds, a new study found. That could be another barrier to maintaining rapidly eroding biodiversity that also provides benefits to humans, including farmers who get free pest control when birds eat agricultural pests.
Read MoreThe CEOs of the various commodity groups are often the unsung heroes of American agriculture. They mostly work behind the scenes on such things as farm policy, trade and regulatory issues, but their contributions certainly make a difference to the farmers they serve.
Read MoreThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that the Southern University Ag Center received a nearly $800,000 pollution prevention grant. Nationwide, 24 recipients were awarded $16 million in grants through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda. Southern University’s grant will fund a project to reduce water pollution from industrial facilities.
Read MoreThis newsletter contains a summary of the third quarter’s ag policy developments.
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