Beauregard Parish Issues Burn Ban
The Beauregard Parish Police Jury has announced that they have instituted an emergency burn ban, effective immediately, due to the dry conditions in the area.
As a result, all open-air burning of trash, garbage, leaves, limbs, branches, or debris of any kind is now prohibited while the ban is in effect.
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Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy Launch Initiative to Help Farmers Reduce Costs with Underutilized Renewable Technologies as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are launching a new initiative to help farmers cut costs and increase income using underutilized renewable technologies including smaller-scale wind projects. Through the Rural and Agricultural Income & Savings from Renewable Energy (RAISE) initiative, USDA is setting an initial goal of helping 400 individual farmers deploy smaller-scale wind projects using USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
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Louisiana Governor Announces $100 Million Bond Allocation for Chevron REG’s Geismar Expansion Project
At the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association’s annual conference Feb. 5, Gov. Jeff Landry announced a $100 million bond allocation for the expansion project at Chevron’s Geismar renewable diesel plant.
This expansion project is expected to bring 90 new permanent jobs and 1,500 temporary jobs.
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Massive Blaze Trails Through Woods in Keithville
Fire has charred at least 100 acres of woods in Keithville’s Pecan Farms neighborhood.
The blaze behind a home in the 9600 block of Paula Street was reported about 2:20 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 25). It was moving very quickly through the woods due to very high winds, Caddo Fire District 4 reported.
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Champions Shine At 89th Annual LSU AgCenter Livestock Show
Louisiana 4-H and FFA livestock competitors from Minden to Metairie and all points between came together to participate in the 89th annual LSU AgCenter Livestock Show held from Feb. 10 to 17 at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
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Louisiana's Crawfish Industry Seeks Relief After 2023 Drought
Louisiana's crawfish industry, a vital part of the state's agricultural landscape and cultural heritage, is in turmoil in 2024.
The industry, already grappling with the aftermath of a severe drought in 2023, has been further devastated by a recent freeze, leading to widespread concerns among farmers and lawmakers about the future of this iconic industry.
In a letter to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-LA, underscored the gravity of the situation.
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US State Agriculture Officials Eye Cuba's Private Sector
The leader of an association of top U.S. state agriculture officials on Wednesday said his country might want to take advantage of reforms underway in Cuba, possibly through investments.
Commissioners from Louisiana, Indiana, South Carolina, Michigan and Montana all told Reuters at the cooperative they sensed Cuba was changing. They cited the emergence of more than 10,000 non-farm small and medium-sized businesses over the last two years, some linked to farm supply and food processing.
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American Rice Farmers Feed The World With Commodity-Based Aid
Earlier this month, Bobby Hanks, a Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee, joined representatives from the U.S. Wheat Associates, North American Millers’ Association, and the Seafarers International Union (AFL-CIO) as part of a stakeholder panel briefing for Congressional staff on “The Role of American Agriculture & Transportation in International Food Aid.”
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Dairy Produces Can Enroll For '24 Dairy Margin Coverage Beginning February 28
Starting next Wednesday, dairy producers will be able to enroll for 2024 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), an important safety net program offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences. This year’s DMC signup begins Feb. 28, 2024, and ends April 29, 2024. For those who sign up for 2024 DMC coverage, payments may begin as soon as March 4, 2024, for any payments that triggered in January 2024.
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Louisiana Soybean Parish Estimates: February 2024
This report contains the results from the 2023 December Agricultural and Row Crops County Agricultural Production surveys.
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Louisiana Corn Parish Estimates: February 2024
This report contains the results from the 2023 December Agricultural and Row Crops County Agricultural Production surveys.
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Producers Have Until March 15 To Enroll In USDA Safety Net Programs
Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year have until March 15, 2024, to revise elections and sign contracts. Both safety net programs, delivered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provide vital income support to farmers who experience substantial declines in crop prices or revenues for the 2024 crop year. In Louisiana, producers have completed 6,285 contracts to date, representing 38.5% of the more than 16,312 expected contracts.
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LSU AgCenter Administrator, Sweet Potato Researcher Honored By National Organization
A national sweet potato organization has honored Tara Smith, LSU AgCenter executive associate vice president and director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, for her leadership and extension and research efforts.
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Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Steps Up Advocacy Work Amid Drought and Economic Challenges
Anyone who’s been on the hunt for boiled crawfish this year knows that it’s been harder than in the past. The lengthy drought of 2023 has led to diminished production and smaller crawfish. Combined with increasing operational, labor and transportation costs, it’s a tough time for farmers in the industry. And, it’s not just crawfish. Experts predict that the lingering drought effects will hamper production of other key Louisiana crops like rice, soybeans and more.
In situations like this, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation (LFBF) stands ready to support farmers and advocate to lawmakers on the local, state and federal levels on their behalf.
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Farmers Ask for Stability in Milk Prices
The American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union sent a letter today requesting that USDA bring stability to Class I milk prices. The letter, sent jointly by AFBF President Zippy Duvall and NFU President Rob Larew, asks Secretary Tom Vilsack to issue an interim final decision to return the Class I mover formula to the “higher of” the Class III or IV calculations, as it was before the 2018 farm bill.
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