What can grow five feet long, up to 400 pounds and is one of the most destructive invasive species in the U.S.?
Wild hogs are the correct answer! Wild hogs also called feral swine go by many names but are the same species as domesticated pigs found on farms.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feral hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year.
Read MoreCotton farmers worldwide have long witnessed Fusarium wilt strip leaves from their crops, leaving plants with bare stems withering away in the fields.
Scientists from Clemson University and Australia are collaborating to create Fusarium-resistant germplasm for use in United States and Australian cotton breeding programs.
Read MoreConsumers have been concerned about the availability of Christmas trees this year, but LSU AgCenter professionals say you should have no fear.
Dry conditions across the state have done considerable damage to many Christmas tree farms, but all is not lost, according to AgCenter forestry specialist Niels de Hoop.
Read MoreDespite things looking positive for the rest of 2023 and into the new year, the historic drought Louisiana has experienced over the past year will still put a severe dent in the state’s agricultural sector.
The exact impacts are still being calculated, but the LSU AgCenter estimates that the total economic losses will be at or exceed $1 billion.
Read MoreWildlife enthusiasts from far and near came to hear the latest on wild hogs, food plots and hunting during what has become an annual event in St. James Parish.
Scheduling issues caused the event to be held on Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m., which didn’t allow for a tour of the food plots, but nobody was left disappointed after the great lineup of speakers and the sponsored dinner.
Read MoreThe new District 7 representative on the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will be Republican Kevin M. Berken.
In the runoff election on Saturday voters across eight parishes showed up to the polls in support of Berken, leaving a large gap between him and his opponent, Republican Erick Knezek.
Read MoreA comprehensive meeting concerning agricultural issues from 2023 will be held at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center on Dec. 7 from 8:30 a.m. until noon.
The LSU AgCenter-sponsored event will cover such topics as DIRT - irrigation app, extreme heat and drought on soybeans and irrigation efficiency, on-farm irrigation trials, flowmeter and pipe planner, feral hog control bait, making decisions with crop production database, harvest week seed destructor and farm bill update.
Read MoreAn extended drought is causing low water levels in key shipping channels like the Mississippi River, and officials trying to address the problems say the fix is out of their hands.
“Rain across the Mississippi River Valley is really what we need, and in the Ohio River Valley, the Missouri River Valley,” Matt Roe, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers, said this month.
Read MoreBrandon Breaux started the first elderberry farm in Louisiana.
Michael Davis produced and marketed the first goat milk gelato in New England.
Joshua Morris developed a multi-speciated operation to create ecosystems on his farm in Missouri.
When each of these veterans returned home from their military service, they were driven to take their lives on a new path — farming.
Read MoreThere’s a new sheriff in Washington Parish.
Jason Smith won Saturday’s runoff election, ousting longtime sheriff Randy “Country” Seal.
Seal was first elected sheriff in 2011, and was the parish’s accessor for 18 years. Smith is retired from the Marine Corps, and now runs a ranch near the Mississippi state line.
Read MoreInflation continues to wreak havoc on consumer's wallets, but there is a tiny bit of relief around the holidays this year.
The average price of a turkey dinner for 10 will cost about $5 less than it did in 2022, but overall prices are still about 25 percent higher than they were in 2019.
Read MoreEnrollment for the e3® Sustainable Cotton program is now open. From seed to bale, the e3 Sustainable Cotton program by BASF provides an entirely traceable and transparent sustainable cotton supply chain — all stewarded by Stoneville and FiberMax cotton growers in the U.S.
Read MoreThere is a saying about who to thank for the meal you ate today.
Each year, the Rotary Club of Abbeville dedicates a day to offer a special thanks to those who work to make sure food is plentiful, by presenting its Farmer of the Year Award.
Allen McLain Jr. is this year’s recipient.
U.S. farm establishments received 14.9 cents per dollar spent on domestically produced food in 2022 as compensation for farm commodity production. This portion, called the farm share, is a decrease of 0.3 cents from a revised 15.2 cents in 2021. The farm share covers operating expenses as well as input costs from nonfarm establishments.
Read MoreAs growers approach the end of the south Louisiana ratoon crop to wrap up their 2023 season, their focus begins to shift towards industry meetings and the holidays.
Last week, USA Rice RMA Chair Meryl Kennedy and Louisiana Farm Bureau Vice President Richard Fontenot, representing the rice industry, joined Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Mike Strain and Nestor Navarro, founder of Navarro International Group, LLC, at a round table listening discussion here with Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor.
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