Born on the third day of Christmas in 1944, the owner of New Orleans area Christmas tree farm that delighted families for decades has died — on Christmas Eve.
Clarke J. Gernon Sr. made it to the end of one last holiday season, his son Clarke J. Gernon Jr. said. He would have turned 79 on Wednesday.
Read MoreResearch efforts across all aspects of hemp production are currently needed to aid in the successful reestablishment and long-term success of this crop in the U.S. A 2020 survey of licensed U.S. hemp farmers determined one of the most challenging aspects of production was the lack of information on the efficacy of currently labeled hemp insecticides.
Read MorePecans and pecan trees are quintessential parts of the southern diet and landscape, although, as reflected by its scientific name (Carya illinoinensis), the pecan tree’s native range extends beyond the South.
A primary criterion for choosing pecan varieties for yards and home orchards is resistance to a fungal disease called pecan scab.
Read MoreAccording to the Crowley Post-Signal, the Acadia Parish Police Jury has unanimously approved a motion to grant a permit to build a second solar installation in the parish.
The proposed solar installation would be located along Louisiana Highway 91, near Iota, as well as in areas along the east and west sides of the roadway, the newspaper reports.
Read MoreIn January 2024, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will hold three hearings to get the public’s opinion on the black bear hunting season notice of intent (NOI). The NOI was passed in November 2023 by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.
Read MoreLouisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Commission members do not need to make hasty decisions on conserving crappies, according to Robby Maxwell, an inland fisheries biologist.
Maxwell reported to the commissioners at their regular monthly meeting held earlier in December on Louisiana’s official fish, the crappie.
Read MoreWill optimistic U.S. rice prices keep acreage up in key states like Arkansas, California, and Louisiana in 2024, or will a positive move in soybean returns encourage Delta and Midsouth growers to rotate to beans next year?
After two consecutive years of lower rice acreage, Arkansas farmers planted more than 1.4 million acres of rice in 2023.
Read MoreThe timber industry in Louisiana suffered major losses as a result of weeks-long wildfires and ongoing drought. Most of the damage comes from Vernon Parish and surrounding areas, where timber normally thrives.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds specialty crop growers that assistance is available for producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses to obtain or renew a food safety certification through the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program. Producers can apply for assistance on their calendar year 2023 expenses through Jan. 31, 2024.
Read MoreLouisiana inventory of all hogs and pigs on December 1, 2023, totaled 5,000 head, was unchanged from December 1, 2022; breeding hog inventory, at 1,000 head, was unchanged from previous year; and market hog inventory, at 4,000 head, was unchanged from the previous year. For the December 2022 - November 2023 period, the pig crop totaled 8,200 head, up 14 percent from the same time period the previous year.
Read MoreDespite losses of $1.69 billion in Louisiana agriculture and forestry from the statewide drought, only portions of Iberia Parish are affected and as farmers strive to overcome it, industry continues to move into the region.
Sugarcane profits in Iberia Parish dropped by 30% because of the drought affecting much of the region, according to local farmer Ronnie Gonsoulin.
Read MoreLouisiana produces 90% of the crawfish found in the United States. Most farmed crawfish come from rice fields in one 35-square-mile area near Welsh, Louisiana.
The industry is fairly new, only entering the mainstream in the 1980s as rice farmers began experimenting with cultivating crawfish in their fields.
Read MoreFeral hog management, H2A guest farm worker updates and electronic grading are among the items on the agenda for the 2024 Tri-State Soybean Forum as it rotates to Louisiana on Jan. 5.
The 68th annual event will be held at the new Black Bear Convention Center, 231 Black Bear Drive in the northeastern Louisiana town of Delhi. The event opens at 7:30 a.m. with registration and ends with lunch at 12:15 p.m. There’s no cost to attend and registration will be on-site.
Read MoreRecently, big corporate candy executives have been pushing a false narrative that there is a domestic sugar shortage. According to a recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture, not only are these reports totally false — there is actually a plentiful supply of sugar, assuring American families they will once again enjoy another holiday season with all their favorite treats.
Read MoreThe Mississippi River levee in front of retired sugarcane farmer George “Scrap” Hymel’s Gramercy, Louisiana home has been the site of a Christmas Eve bonfire for 53 years. Hymel saw his last bonfire in 2022; he passed away on December 30, 2022.
But for the Hymel family to not participate in the annual tradition of building the holiday bonfire was out of the question.
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