Togetherall Brings Mental Health Awareness and Support to Agriculture
Throughout the years I have seen our agriculture community come together during times of need. Wildfires, floods, droughts, tornadoes and hurricanes, for example, all bring the appropriate awareness from news headlines but what about the mental health crisis affecting the people in our industry? The chronic, sometimes daily struggles of farmers and ranchers, whether financial, family, weather, economic, or regulatory in nature all play a role in our daily lives. Often, we are left to absorb the hardships alone.
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USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs of Organic, Transitioning Producers
Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 2022.
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Ag Commissioner Mike Strain in Cuba Building Bridges for Louisiana Export
Agricultural leaders are in Havanna for the U.S. Agricultural Conference and Commissioner for Louisiana, Mike Strain, says the trip could prove fruitful for Louisiana exporters.
"There is a food shortage here and they will import about 2B dollars in food and resources."
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Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Changes for Foreign Seafood Sold at Louisiana Restaurants
In an effort to protect Louisiana’s struggling domestic seafood industry, state lawmakers on Wednesday passed sweeping changes to public health codes that will affect thousands of restaurants, food trucks, grocery stores and other food establishments across the state. They also include every state agency and school district that serves food.
Senate Bill 166, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, received final passage with overwhelming bipartisan support from both chambers.
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NatGLC 2024 Conference Scholarship Application
Louisiana GLCI will be offering partial scholarships for travel and conference tickets to 10 farmers/ranchers from Louisiana and Mississippi.
The application deadline is June 15, 2024
Decisions will be released by Sept 1, 2024 or before.
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Environmental Groups, Local Crawfish Producers Bring Lawsuit to Challenge East Grand Lake Project in the Atchafalaya Basin
A plaintiff group, including Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West, Healthy Gulf, Sierra Club and its Delta Chapter, and Waterkeeper Alliance filed a lawsuit to challenge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) East Grand Lake (EGL) project in the Atchafalaya Basin.
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Louisiana Crops Newsletter
In the lower Mississippi Delta, excessive rainfall is common during the early growing season, leading to saturated soils for several days. This condition accelerates nitrogen (N) losses through denitrification, leaching, and runoff, thereby reducing corn yield potential. Consequently, the LSU AgCenter recommends applying N in at least two splits for silt loam and clayey soils, and in three splits for sandy soils.
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Red River Livestock Auction: May 15, 2024
Click below for the market report from the latest Red River Livestock Auction.
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Tiger Lake Livestock Auction: May 15, 2024
Click below for the market report from the latest Tiger Lake Livestock Auction.
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LDAF’s Livestock Brand Commission to host saddle microchipping event May 31
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission will host its next saddle microchipping event on Friday, May 31, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. It will be held at Burton Coliseum located at 7001 Gulf Highway in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in conjunction with the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association.
LDAF’s microchip identification program provides all saddle owners in the state of Louisiana the opportunity to have their saddles registered and identified by using a microchip implant. If microchipped saddles are ever stolen, the program allows brand officers to confirm ownership and return the property. This service is provided free to the public.
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Mornings with Brian Haldane: DC Current with Congressman Troy Carter
Congressman Troy Carter joins the show for DC Current to share his thoughts on peaceful protests on college campuses, emergency assistance to Louisiana’s Crawfish Aquaculture Industry, along with the misuse and abuse of AI.
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LSU Provost's Fund Invests $1.2 Million in Highly Competitive Research Teams
In a second round of Big Idea seed grants, the largest internal funding program in LSU history, the Provost’s Fund for Innovation in Research is investing $1.2 million in 15 interdisciplinary research teams. Aligned with LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, the teams and their projects aim to solve pressing problems in Louisiana and everywhere.
In total, the funded projects will engage 65 faculty across nine colleges and schools on LSU’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge, extending collaboration to LSU Athletics, LSU AgCenter, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and LSU Health New Orleans. Two projects support advances in agriculture; seven projects drive discovery in biomedicine; six projects elevate the coast and environment; six projects protect the state and nation through stronger defense and cybersecurity; and six projects help secure the future of energy.
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USDA Approves Emergency Forest Restoration Assistance for All Parishes in Louisiana
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced that all 64 Louisiana parishes have been approved for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to restore and rehabilitate private forest lands impacted by severe drought and related insect infestation damage. The EFRP signup period runs from May 13, 2024, to July 12, 2024.
EFRP is a cost-share program that provides financial and technical assistance to owners of nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF) to restore NIPF damaged by a qualifying natural disaster event.
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The Farmer's Forecast: Two More Rounds of Rain
Last year was one for the ages across Louisiana, and NOT in a good way. I did a brief dive into a comparison of the numbers from this year and last year, since May 15th 2023 was the point where we went from a pretty normal year, to one of the most incredible droughts and heat waves in recent history. I used Alexandria for this exercise since it is right in the middle of the state, and I had already used it for my local update.
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Soybean Mid-May Planting Progress and Managing Flooded Conditions
Louisiana's soybean planting progressed well in mid-April, exceeding the five-year average. However, heavy rains in mid-May slowed progress, with only 69% planted by May 12th, 2024. This lags behind last year's 76% at the same point. An article, “The Farmer's Forecast: More Soybean Planting Delays” indicates continued rain and potential wind/hail threats.
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