Earlier this year, USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward announced she would retire after 18 years at USA Rice, 16 of them in her current role, and almost four decades advocating for U.S. agriculture and forestry in Washington, DC, and around the world. Peter Bachmann, USA Rice vice president of policy & government affairs since 2019, was named her successor by the Board of Directors on Tuesday.
Read MoreIf you think retail stores had Christmas decorations out too soon this year, wait until you hear how early Christmas tree farmers have to start planning.
These dedicated growers invest six to eight years nurturing their crop, and multiple factors during that time can influence the availability and cost of Christmas trees for consumers. As we approach the 2023 holiday season, Louisiana's Christmas tree market is not exempt from these challenges.
Read MoreIf you see handfuls of soybeans scattered about the field as you harvest they might not look like much, but small numbers can add up to huge losses quickly.
Read MoreOn patrol: a tenacious approach to controlling the smartest animals in the woods— feral hogs.
Read MoreAs a mother and a farmer, Lilli Voorhies has a lot on her plate in a good year. This year, with its extreme weather conditions — a late freeze in March and an exceptionally dry, hot summer — pushed her Lafayette farm to its limits.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction is still accepting nominations through Nov. 17 for its induction ceremony, which will be held March 7, 2024, in Baton Rouge.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from the latest Red River Livestock Auction.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from the latest Kinder Livestock Auction.
Read MoreBack in September, the updated statewide burn ban allowed each parish the ability to opt out of the ban if they chose to. With the cooler temperatures outside, many have concerns over whether the burn ban is still in effect in their area.
For the past couple of months, state and national entities met for several weeks to discuss how the state would move forward with the burn ban. One local parish is lifting its burn ban restrictions.
Read MoreSeveral parishes in northeast Louisiana have been marked eligible to apply for emergency loan funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Emergency loans can be used by producers recovering from natural disasters to meet various recovery needs including the placement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or to refinance certain debts.
Read MoreIt’s November first and even though the season isn’t officially over until the end of the month, State Climatologist Barry Keim said with records as far back as 1851 a storm has never made a November landfall in Louisiana. We’ve had them in late October before.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for November 2023, which are effective Nov. 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 MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages urban producers, innovative producers and other stakeholders to submit comments for and virtually attend the upcoming public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (Committee) on Nov. 29, 2023.
Read MoreDrought, dry weather conditions, and extreme heat over the summer have forced a Christmas tree farm in Tangipahoa Parish to shut down for the 2023 holiday season.
According to a Facebook post, Christmas Town Christmas Tree Farm in Kentwood, La. announced it will not have trees available for purchase this year.
Read MoreNewly elected Speaker Mike Johnson has been on the job for five days. His colleagues are already pushing him to do more. On Friday, 60 House Republicans sent him an open letter calling for the swift passage of a new farm bill. They say the letter was intended to highlight the critical importance of federal policies helping farm, ranch and forester families.
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