USDA Invests $7 Million in Wetland Mitigation Banking to Support Producers and Protect Wetland Ecosystems
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $7 million to support the development of wetland mitigation banks for agricultural producers through the Wetland Mitigation Banking Program (WMBP). Through wetland mitigation banks, wetlands are restored, created or enhanced, generating credits that can be purchased by producers looking to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands at another location. The funding is available to Tribes, government entities, nonprofits and other organizations.
“Wetlands provide important ecosystem services, like storing floodwaters and filtering pollutants, while also serving as critical habitat to wildlife,” said USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Terry Cosby.
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USDA Announces $824 Million in New Funding to Protect Livestock Health; Launches Voluntary H5N1 Dairy Herd Status Pilot Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced it is taking several additional actions to ensure the health and viability of the nation’s livestock and poultry. In the two months since the initial detection of H5N1 in dairy cattle, USDA has worked quickly and in concert with its federal and state partners to better understand the virus and contain the disease and remains committed to seeking additional ways to collect the data needed to better understand and mitigate the risk created by this outbreak.
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If You See Dead Fish This Summer, Call LDWF
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is asking for help if you are on or around bodies of water this summer and see fish kills to give them a call. LDWF Inland Fisheries Technical Advisor Robby Maxwell.
“If you see dead fish in public waters please report them. Call your local district fisheries office and just report what you’re seeing, where you are and how many dead fish there are and we will respond to it in an appropriate manner.”
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A Peach of a Day is on Tap at the Louisiana Peach Festival Saturday
The 74th annual Peach Festival is this Saturday in downtown Ruston, an opportunity to enjoy 12 hours of live music, an art market and it’s Louisiana so of course there’s a plethora of peachy good food.
“This is our largest annual event that we host. In 2023 we had over 24,000 people come through the single day event. So, it is by far the largest festival or event that we produce in Ruston and Lincoln Parish,” said Experience Ruston spokesperson Tori Davis.
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Louisiana Finally Fixes America's Dumbest Licensing Requirement
America's most insane occupational licensing law is about to get a whole lot better.
Louisiana is the only state in the country that requires florists to be licensed by the government. A bill that is now on the way to Gov. Jeff Landry's desk sadly won't change that fact, but it will eliminate the mandatory test that prospective florists in Louisiana must pass before being allowed to earn a living by placing different types of flowers together in an arrangement.
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Higgins Introduces Legislation to Overturn Biden Administration’s EPA Rule
Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new rule that threatens the production of chemicals needed for countless everyday products and used in key industries such as agriculture, health care, and semiconductors.
The rule places unreasonable regulatory burdens on chemical facilities, impacting at least 195 sites across the country, including many located directly in Louisiana.
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Biden-Harris Administration to Invest $50 Million in Projects that Restore Natural Functions and Values of Wetlands As Part of Investing in America Agenda
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest up to $50 million in fiscal year 2024 through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) to support conservation partners with local projects that help protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands and help mitigate climate change as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. With funding from the 2018 Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history, including historic funding for conservation easements and other conservation programs—WREP empowers eligible conservation partners to work with local agriculture producers to protect, restore and enhance high-priority wetlands on agricultural lands.
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Feasting on Agriculture -- Thirsty Farmer Winery & Vineyard
Full disclosure, Savannah and I went to school together. However, when I saw they had built a vineyard and winery in our hometown, I knew that I wanted to feature it in one of our Feasting on Agriculture segments.
Thirsty Farmer’s story does start in a more familiar wine country. After a trip to California’s wine country in 2015, the couple decided to try their hand at growing grapes and winemaking back home. Michael planted more than 150 vines of their favorite wine grapes, but the crop was not exactly successful.
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The Farmer's Forecast: The Return of Rain
Rain has returned to the state, which feels like mixed news, depending on who you talk to. It feels like we went from too wet, to too dry, and back to wet, with no time in the middle. It looks like more rain is on the way, as well as at least some threat for severe weather.
The pattern we are in is typical for late spring into the first days of summer. A northwesterly flow aloft is carrying disturbances that will interact with plenty of moisture and instability.
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Louisiana Agricultural Organizations Unite in Support of The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024
A coalition of Louisiana’s largest agricultural groups representing more than 150,000 Louisiana residents today sent a letter to the state’s congressional delegation urging them to pass The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 now that it has advanced out of the House Agriculture Committee.
Louisiana Farm Bureau, American Sugar Cane League, Louisiana Cotton and Grain Association, Louisiana Forestry Association, Louisiana Rice Producers Group and Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association are the organizations that signed the letter.
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LSU AgCenter Researcher Provides Tips To Reduce Disease Outbreaks In Fish
Springtime disease losses in fishponds are common throughout the Southeast, especially in Louisiana, according to LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist Greg Lutz. Many problems that become apparent in the spring begin in the fall, when hot weather can reduce oxygen levels in ponds and make fish susceptible to diseases.
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'In Touch But Not In The Way,' Justin Dufour Is A Resource For Central Louisiana Farmers
When he first enrolled in college, Justin Dufour thought he wanted to become an athletic trainer. But a few classes into his coursework at LSU Alexandria, he realized that career path wouldn’t suit his interests very well.
Ultimately, it was Dufour’s part-time job at the neighboring LSU AgCenter research station that helped him settle on a degree in biology and led him to a career in agriculture.
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74th Annual Louisiana Peach Festival To Take Place June First
The 74th annual Louisiana Peach Festival will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2024 in downtown Ruston.
The festival will be held from 9 am to 11 pm with more than 100 arts and food vendors, more than 12 hours of live music, fresh peaches and treats, a parade, interactive kids’ activities and more.
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NCC Announces Emerging Leaders Class for 2024-2025
Twelve U.S. cotton industry members have been chosen to participate in the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) Emerging Leaders Program for 2024-25.
Now in its ninth year, the NCC’s Emerging Leaders Program is supported by a grant to The Cotton Foundation from Bayer.
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Will Dicamba Be Usable In 2025?
Following an Arizona federal court ruling that vacated the label in February, users of dicamba herbicides are waiting to see what happens now that a new registration for over-the-top use of XtendiMax during the 2025 season has been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency.
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