LSU and other Louisiana universities have been awarded a $160 million grant – the largest ever awarded by U-S National Science Foundation to support energy transition, decarbonization, and create jobs. Vice President of Research and Economic Development Robert Twilley says the grant positions the state to be the leader in expanding the energy industry.
Read MoreThe 2024 LATMC final program has been posted. A hardcopy will be distributed at the meeting next week
Read More“Cattle rustling”—the theft of livestock–and farm and ranch equipment, and even saddles, is alive and well in Louisiana and across America. Louisiana combats agricultural crimes through its Brand Commission, a team of law enforcement officers with specialized training.
Read MoreA hidden path to America's dinner tables begins here, at an unlikely source – a former Southern slave plantation that is now the country's largest maximum-security prison.
Unmarked trucks packed with prison-raised cattle roll out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where men are sentenced to hard labor and forced to work, for pennies an hour or sometimes nothing at all. After rumbling down a country road to an auction house, the cows are bought by a local rancher and then followed by The Associated Press another 600 miles to a Texas slaughterhouse that feeds into the supply chains of giants like McDonald's, Walmart and Cargill.
Read MorePrices (old crop March 2024 futures) have finally broken to the upside and now stand within the previous 83 to 89 cents range we had for months prior to the most recent setback to mostly 74 to 82 cents. But, that old 83 to 89 cents range will now become a barrier. That’s the way markets work, and it may be a tough nut to crack. Note, for example, that price was down sharply on Jan. 26.
Read MoreThe American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter today to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the agency to issue a final decision on an emergency basis to speed the implementation of the “higher-of” Class I mover formula to buffer dairy farmers from further losses during the forthcoming Federal Milk Marketing Order rulemaking process.
Read MoreDr. Sanjay Batra, BASF Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Toxicology in the SU College of Ag, received the Fall 2023 Outstanding Researcher Award from the Southern University Baton Rouge campus.
The award was presented on Dec. 14 by the Southern University Office of Sponsored Programs.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that most farm loan borrowers will be able to make payments to their direct loans online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov in early February. Pay My Loan is part of a broader effort by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to streamline its processes, especially for producers who may have limited time during the planting or harvest seasons to visit a local FSA office; modernize and improve customer service; provide additional customer self-service tools; and expand credit access to assist more producers.
Read MoreThe National Sorghum Foundation will soon open applications for three scholarships it has available to college students studying agriculture in the 2024-2025 academic year.
“These scholarships represent individuals who had an enduring impact on sorghum and sorghum research," said Foundation Chair Dr. Jeff Dahlberg. "We look forward to offering assistance to future students who exhibit these same skills and leadership capabilities.”
Read MoreIn the latest episode of Bottom Line, Business Report traveled to one of the sources of Louisiana’s beloved crawfish: Four Oaks Farms in Morganza. The farm sits on over 1,500 acres of land. There, they harvest sugarcane, soybeans and crawfish.
Co-Owner Matt Frey starts selling his yield a little later in the year than most crawfish farms, and times harvesting with the rice growing season.
Read MoreAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investments designed to support the U.S. specialty crops industry. The launch of the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative will provide $65 million for projects that will help the specialty crop sector increase global exports and expand to new markets.
Additionally, today USDA is announcing $72.9 million in grant funding available to support the specialty crops industry through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Read MoreMayther Ray Young, or “Mr. Ray,” as he was known to literally thousands of farmers, crop consultants and other people in and out of agriculture, has died. He was 94.
Mr. Ray, who is generally credited with being the father of crop consulting in the United States if not the world, passed away peacefully at his home in Wisner, La., on Jan. 21, surrounded by members of his family.
Read MoreNorth Louisiana has seen over nine inches of rain over the past several days, and more is expected into Friday night. But despite the deluge Louisiana has received, it won't be enough to be able to salvage this year's crawfish season.
Crawfish expert Mark Shirley, from the LSU AgCenter said, unfortunately, we won't see any substantial benefit from the recent rains. Shirley said the rains will help to flush the ponds, but won't increase the crawfish harvest.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) will work in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to award $4.6 million through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI).
Read MoreLast October it took eight Republican House members to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and effectively gridlock Congress in the process.
Now, six Republican House members -- in a letter highlighted by fiscally conservative groups -- are making it clear they are "in strong opposition" to Congress raising reference prices in the farm bill.
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