Farmer Shocked After Lost iPhone Circles Globe, Returns Home
When central Oklahoma farmer Kevin Whitney’s iPhone slipped from his pocket and fell beneath 220,000 bushels of grain sorghum bound for parts unknown, he assumed the device was forever gone. Instead, the iPhone took a 20,000-mile roundtrip across the globe, returning nine months later from Japan into the hands of a stunned Whitney.
Placed on a barge at Inola, Whitney’s iPhone floated down the Arkansas River, changed flows to the Mississippi River, and arrived at its final U.S. destination—Convent, Louisiana, where it was dumped onto a carrier ship bound for Japan.
Read More
Timber Market Trends Workshop to be Offered December 12 at Bossier Parish Library History Center
A free Timber Market Trends Workshop will be offered on December 12, 2023, at the Bossier Parish Library History Center in Bossier City, Louisiana. Featured topics include current market trends for timber, how to estimate the value of your timber, how to find the best place to sell your timber, how to navigate pitfalls of selling your timber, and how to leave the land healthier after the sale.
Read More
Weyerhaeuser Invests $96 Million to Upgrade and Decarbonize Winn Parish Facility
Weyerhaeuser, one of the largest private owners of timberland, will spend 96 million dollars to modernize and decarbonize its Winn Parish lumber mill. Spokesperson Deano Orr says the upgrade will increase safety, productivity, and reliability.
“That’s going to involve installations of some new modernized equipment. Some of that new equipment will be new low-carbon process drying systems. We refer to those as CDK’s which is short for Continuours Dry Kilns.”
Read More
Louisiana's Battle Against Wildfires Sparks Plea for $43 Million Boost in Funding
The months-long battle against hundreds of wildfires across Louisiana has made clear that the state is ill-prepared for hotter, drier summers producing multiple simultaneous blazes that ravage forests, imperil communities and stretch the state’s firefighting capabilities beyond the limit.
That’s the message state Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain is sending to lawmakers as he lobbies for a substantial boost in funding for Louisiana’s largest wildfire fighting agency.
Read More
Louisiana Farm Bureau Podcast: Maximizing Markets for Louisiana Farmers
The primary function of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation is to ensure farmers can continue to feed a growing world. One of the ways it does that is by helping move agricultural products through the Louisiana Farm Bureau Marketing Association. In this episode, Karl Wiggers sits down with grain marketing specialists Greg Fox and Grayson Close to talk about the company and how they help farmers across Louisiana sell their crops at the best price at the best time.
Read More
State Seafood Safety Task Force Tackling Import Testing and Mislabeling
Members of the Louisiana Seafood Safety Task Force are searching for answers to not only improve the dying domestic seafood industry but also address health concerns coming from imports.
“You can become antibody resistant from eating imported shrimp and imported fish so our state should be able to do something in that way or even federally,” said Kimberly Chauvin. “I don’t even understand how we’re not protecting people.”
Read More
Union Parish Farmers Team Up for Third Winter Farm Share Season
Current Farms is launching its third Winter Farm Share Season and it will continue until March 2024. According to Current Farms, this year they are partnering with 3 Board Farm to bring more locally-grown fresh food from the farm to the community.
“Our partnership with 3 Board Farm is more than just a business contract; it’s a shared vision for a healthier, more sustainable community,” said Conrad Cable, owner of Current Farms.
Read More
USDA Continues to Build Upon its Expansion of Enterprise Unit Possibilities to Offer Greater Crop Insurance Options
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is further expanding the opportunities for producers to consider Enterprise Units as risk management options. The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding Enterprise Unit availability to additional specialty crops and other actual production history (APH) crop programs. Together with the six crop types announced July 6, 2023, for Enterprise Unit protection, these crops could benefit from the availability of Enterprise Units where they were previously unavailable.
Read More
USDA Announces December '23 Lending Rates For Ag Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for December 2023, which are effective Dec. 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 More
USA Rice Outlook Meeting App Goes Live
The USA Rice Outlook Conference begins this week, and USA Rice has once again launched a comprehensive meeting app sponsored by BASF to help attendees manage their event experience.
“We have more than 25 sessions and 35 speakers packed onto four stages with something for everyone,” said USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann. “The app will help attendees look at all their options, read about sessions and presenters, build a personalized schedule, connect with fellow attendees and speakers, and access presentation materials.”
Read More
LDAF Seed Testing Laboratory's Seed Sample Results Now Available Online
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Seed Testing Laboratory announces that seed sample test results can now be viewed online. Results have always been available upon request; they’ve just made it easier to access the information.
Read More
Some Farmers Will Pay $1 More per Hour to Their H-2A Employees in 2024
The USDA says farmers who hire H-2A workers next year will be paying higher wages, and in some cases, by a lot more. Senior Economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, Veronica Nigh, shares details about their recent survey.
Read More
Locals Want More Rules for Seafood Imports
Only about 10% of seafood consumed in America is domestic. That’s crippling the Louisiana seafood industry. “For the last two years it’s just about ruined the industry,” Louisiana fisherman Pete Gerica said. In his 50 years on the water, Gerica has never seen it this bad.
Read More
Louisiana Living: Farm to Table
Today on Louisiana Living, Cathy Agan, nutrition agent for the LSU Ag Center, joins Ashley Doughty in the kitchen to demonstrate how to make sweet potato hash.
Read More
Louisiana Christmas Tree Farm Shares Christmas Tree Safety Reminders
As many families begin putting up their Christmas tree this year, it’s important to remember some safety tips that you should know to keep your family safe.
Read More
