Southern U.S. rice farmers were cautioned to focus more on rice quality as the industry seeks to expand market share in Latin America and elsewhere. The caveat to this is understanding the word “quality” from the perspective of customers in Central and South America.
Read MoreAnyone wanting to become a certified Prescribed Burn Manager, or those wanting to re-certify as required every five years, should attend an Agricultural Prescribed Burn Manager Certification Class from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Yambilee Building, 1939 West Landry Street in Opelousas.
Read MoreDowntown Cameron will be humming the next two weekends as the Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival — deemed the “oldest and coldest” Southwest Louisiana festival — gets underway.
The festival will feature parades, a gumbo cook-off, pageants, run/walks, dances, carnival rides and plenty of Cajun music.
Read MoreLouisiana is the largest harvester of crawfish in the nation. There’s been a boiling uncertainty amongst some seafood businesses, as the state faces one of its driest seasons.
“The season will be a little shorter, so I’m going to encourage everyone when they’re available go ahead and get some,” said Mike Strain, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture.
Read MoreThe USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry have established a federal quarantine area for Huanglongbing, also known as HLB or citrus greening.
The quarantine is for Saint Charles Parish in Louisiana due to HLB detections in plant tissue samples collected in multiple locations during routine surveys and to prevent the spread of HLB to non-infested parts of the U.S., according to a news release.
Read MoreAfter a summer that resulted in an ongoing drought, Louisiana farmers are eager for a better year in 2024. They are dependent on rye-grass growth in pastures in the warmest months of the year, but it was not abundant this summer due to little rain.
“We still have yet to get enough rainfall,” said Ryan Yerby, a farmer in Grant Parish. “We’re currently probably 35 to 40 inches still behind where we need to be for the year.
Read MoreNatural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes can cause millions of dollars in damage to ag operations.
To address some of the challenges of rebuilding after such disasters, Louisiana Congresswoman Julia Letlow introduced the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act and the Drought Relief Act.
Read MoreIn mid-December, USA Rice participated in the National Black Growers Council (NBGC) annual meeting that kicked off with opening remarks from Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.
Objectives and updates were reviewed by NBGC Interim Executive Director Dr. Loston Rowe and NBGC Board Chair PJ Haynie III at the meeting’s outset followed by a full agenda of conference speakers and topics centered around the theme, “Honoring Our Past, Growing Our Future.”
Read MoreMy top priority is hearing from Louisianans from all walks of life and bringing their stories with me back to Washington to advocate and find common sense solutions to the issues facing Louisianans every day.
While agriculture is the backbone of the Fifth District, ensuring our farmers and ranchers have the resources they need is critical for our communities - That’s why I’ve championed legislation for the Louisiana agriculture sector.
Read MoreThere is a boiling uncertainty in an area of Louisiana dubbed the “Crawfish Capital of the World.”
Farmers across the state are worried about this year’s crawfish crop, wondering if the “mudbugs” will emerge from their underground burrows, which can run three feet or more deep.
Read MorePevehouse Farms LLC has announced the establishment of the Pevehouse Farms endowed scholarship at Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.
Pevehouse Farms says the scholarship is being created to encourage more students in northeast Louisiana to further their education at LSU.
Read MoreHere we go again. Stepping out into the unknown. Sticking our necks out to kickstart the new year’s cotton acreage projection game once more.
In reality, Cotton Grower’s track record for acreage projection has been pretty good for the past several years. And, if nothing else, it gives the industry something to ponder and/or poke fun of until the more esteemed scientific surveys from the National Cotton Council and USDA are released in the coming months.
Read MoreI have already invited myself to multiple crawfish boils. I am ready for my lips to burn because I went too hard on the spicy crawfish. I am prepared for the best reason many of us live in Louisiana, crawfish season.
The temperatures plummeted and many of us had never seen temps so low in the Ark-La-Tex. We were so focused on our homes and businesses not having pipes burst that we forgot about temperatures ruining our crawfish season.
Read MoreThe Tournament of Roses Parade, held here on New Year's Day since 1890, is an annual explosion of activity with vibrant floats, spirited marching bands, horseback riders, and hundreds of thousands of spectators who line the five-mile route to cheer on the electrifying procession.
The 2024 parade once again included an entry from Explore Louisiana, the state’s office of tourism, that featured a larger-than-life Mardi Gras jester, fleur-de-lis, and flourishes incorporating the iconic purple, green, and gold color scheme.
Read MoreMuch of the work LSU AgCenter nutrition agents are doing centers on the specific needs of the communities they serve.
In East Baton Rouge Parish, AgCenter nutrition agent Dewanna Bandy Drewery partnered with a local high school to provide nutrition classes for students and their parents.
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