After collaborating with veterinarians, allied organizations, state and federal agencies, diagnostic laboratories and animal health officials on the 2024 emerging disease event affecting dairy cattle, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) will reference the newly emerging cattle disease that has stemmed from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as Bovine Influenza A Virus,
Read MoreThe lingering effects of El Niño are still being felt in the U.S. The deluge of rains that fell across the mid-south, southeast and eastern U.S. are a reminder of that. However, one agricultural meteorologist says as El Niño fades, La Niña is already knocking at the door, and it could bring dryness to the southern U.S. The biggest question is now timing.
Read MoreThere could be potential hazards lurking in your yard. Among the flora often included in Louisiana landscapes are toxic plants, such as the sago palm, as well as other popular plants like hydrangea, wisteria, foxglove, and more.
The sago palm of the cycad family is very popular with landscapers and homeowners in the Baton Rouge area. Unfortunately, many people are unaware that sago palm seeds, leaves, and roots are extremely toxic to pets.
Read MoreWithin a few hours of severe storms passing through the state in early April, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation members and volunteers were on the phone with each other, assessing damage and determining the next steps to protect the future of their crops and livestock.
“By mid-morning, we had talked to at least six people in different areas of the state. We knew we had farmers with barns that were damaged by the wind and fields that were flooded. We were immediately figuring out what people needed,” said Robert Duncan, chair of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. “That connection and reliability is such an important part of what we do.”
Read MoreIt looks like another round of rain is on tap for Louisiana. The rain will start across north Louisiana early on Saturday, and spread southeast through the day. The best time to see moderate to heavy rainfall in most areas will be Saturday night into early Sunday. Instability should be shoved to the south as this system approaches, and that means that any sort of severe threat will be minimal at worst, and that very small threat will generally be along, and south of I-10. Rainfall totals will generally be in the 1/2 to 2 inch range, with higher totals in north Louisiana, as they will have the longest duration of rain.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from latest Dominique’s Stockyards Livestock auctions.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from the latest Tiger Lake Livestock auction.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from the latest Red River Livestock auction.
Read MoreThe Pelican State just got a major boost. Today, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced the completion of a multi-year 5G network investment totaling more than $290 million across the state, including a $50 million network upgrade in the Greater New Orleans area. The announcement comes on the heels of the company’s expansion last month of Ultra Capacity 5G to new communities across Louisiana and the entire country.
Over the past three years, T-Mobile has improved Ultra Capacity 5G (5G UC) connectivity for more than 1.7 million Louisianans, including residents in small towns and rural areas in the state.
Read MoreThe domestic production of sugar in the U.S. originates from sugarcane harvested in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas and sugarbeets harvested across the Upper Midwest, Central Plains, Mountain states, Pacific Northwest, and California.
Sugarcane is harvested from October to March and sugarbeets are harvested in the late summer through fall, except for California where sugarbeets are harvested in the spring through the summer.
Read MoreRecently the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri released their outlook for U.S. agriculture. They project that American sugar production remains strong and is expected to grow, despite challenges we have seen over the past couple years including factory closures in Sidney, MT, and Santa Rosa, TX.
“Despite new and existing challenges, the forecast is bright for American sugar production as long as the farmers’ safety net is strengthened,” said Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis at the American Sugar Alliance.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has received $65.2 million to aid the fishing industry damaged by storms and flooding.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has given the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries two pots of money to distribute to the fishing community. It includes $38.2 million to aid the fishing industry affected by the 2019 opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway. A separate $27 million has been given to the department to aid the fishing industry impacted by hurricanes that struck Louisiana between 2021 and 2022.
Read MoreOne step into a tour of the Kennedy Rice Mill in Mer Rouge called into question one cardinal rule of Cajun cooking for ladies of all ages during a Louisiana Women in Agriculture event.
“My grandma always said you needed to wash the dirt off the rice first, but I’m starting to reconsider,” one participant mused.
Read MoreMeryl Kennedy rode shotgun for farm checks, walked flooded rice fields and picked up enough lingo to keep her fluent in the unique vernacular of a Louisiana farming community. Those moments spent learning at her father Elton’s side imprinted in her a deep appreciation for overcoming the hardships of farming in the near-hostile environment of the Gulf state.
Deep down though, she knew her heart just wasn’t in the dirt. She needed the glamor of the corporate world, of meeting with investors and negotiating global deals. The complete opposite of her father’s down-home rice farming, drying and land management business - or so she thought.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., has been appointed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Advisory Council Subcommittee on Planning for Animal Welfare (PAW). This Council will advise the FEMA Administrator on all matters related to emergency management and animal welfare.
“I am very honored by this appointment,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “In Louisiana, we have been focused on creating new policies to help with the protection of animals during an emergency since Hurricane Katrina.
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