LSU AgCenter sugarcane breeder Collins Kimbeng has received a $288,690 award over three years from The John Deere Company to study remote sensing and artificial intelligence for supporting sugarcane breeding and forecasting sugar yield.
Read MoreLike many college organizations, the McNeese Rodeo team is finding ways to help prospective students using scholarships. But that money has to come from somewhere. That’s why they will be holding a costume rodeo fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 26, right before this weekend’s rodeo.
Read MoreThe State Fire Marshal’s Office has reported a brush fire in the Alexandria area that has caused at least one death.
SFM said the brush fire was reported to authorities around 1:30 p.m. in the 6100 block of LA 488, or the Twin Bridges Road area.
Read MoreOne of the biggest days of the year for local students is almost here. It's when the best of the best compete in the ArkLaTex Agricultural Council's Jr. Livestock Sale at the State Fair of Louisiana.
It's set for Nov. 1 in the fairgrounds Sale Arena. Students from across the state have put in blood, sweat, and tears for months getting their show animals ready for auction. Prospective buyers will be on hand ready to offer up the highest bids.
Read MoreAfter months of hard work and dedication, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) invites visitors to explore its new website. The new site URL is www.ldaf.la.gov.
The LDAF designed the new website to offer the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality while allowing stakeholders to see the full scope of services the agency provides to Louisiana.
Read MoreOnce 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.
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