Crawfish season is winding down, and to say it was an unpredictable one is an understatement. LSU Ag Center Crawfish specialist Mark Shirley said towards the end of the season April and May, supply increased in some fields, but that wasn’t the case for every crawfish farmer.
“There was still a significant amount of acres that were flooded back in the fall that did not produce any crawfish or produce so few crawfish that the farmers just did not harvest those fields.”
Read MoreWhen I was a kid, I couldn’t help but notice how the contract crews that chopped our cotton were usually covered head to toe in garments and hats that covered their skin.
Being young, immortal and stupid we chopped cotton in shorts, sometimes shirtless while the sun beat down in the summer heat. We had no concern for the effects of ultraviolet radiation. Many of us started the season with a hearty sunburn.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter Agricultural Leadership Development Program is now accepting applications for Class XIX, which is scheduled to begin in January 2025 with a completion date of February 2027.
“Developing leaders is essential to advancing agriculture, especially in areas such as finance, policy issues and regulatory matters,” said Matt Lee, vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture. “The graduates of this program continue to advocate for agriculture and help maintain a healthy and viable industry that plays a crucial role in Louisiana’s economy.”
Read MoreLouisiana state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 166 during the 2024 legislative session. It cracks down on requirements for labeling domestic and foreign seafood. It means seafood businesses are prohibited from falsely claiming their seafood is domestic.
Read MoreLouisiana Farm Bureau and the Louisiana Fire and Emergency Training Academy have compiled a list of all grain bin rescue tubes in the state and their locations.
There are currently 25 grain bin rescue tubes in the state. Seventeen are owned by fire departments. The remaining eight are owned by companies that operate grain elevators.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from the latest Red River Livestock Auction.
Read MoreDr. Zhu Ning, Chair and doctoral program leader of the Department of Urban Forestry, Environment, and Natural Resources in the SU College of Ag, has received the Spring 2024 Outstanding Researcher Award from the Southern University Baton Rouge campus.
A certificate and a monetary award were presented to Dr. Ning on April 19, 2024 by the Southern University Office of Sponsored Programs.
Read MoreIts full name is Climate Resilient Innovations for Sustainable Production of Rice, but it’s mostly known by the acronym CRISP Rice.
The goal of this project being undertaken by scientists with the LSU AgCenter is to enhance the profitability and sustainability of rice production in the southern U.S.
Read MoreWith the recent wave of severe weather hitting Louisiana and Texas, residents are being reminded to stay vigilant not only for the usual hazards like tornados and flooding but also for displaced wildlife. The alligator is one animal being moved around by floodwaters.
Read MoreCommon rust has been reported in some fields in central Louisiana and on the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center. However, this disease has not been a major concern in previous years.
Common rust may be the first disease found in corn fields and usually occurs in the lower-to-mid-canopy. Disease development is favored when temperatures are cool (60-77oF) and leaf wetness of 4-6 hours.
Read MoreThe story of the newly married couple and their dream of continuing the family farming legacy is a tale of determination and resilience in the face of challenges. With a deep-rooted belief in living off the land and improving it for future generations, they encountered obstacles such as limited land availability and the need to manage it for multiple family members. That couple is us. This is our story.
Soil is the foundation of productive, sustainable agriculture. Over 20 years ago, we implemented no-till practices to help improve the soil and reduce our fuel costs.
Read MoreGlenn Thibodaux knows a thing or two about alligators.
"I was raised in the country east of Morgan City so we had alligators, we called them pets,” Thibodaux said.
You could even call him an alligator whisperer.
Read MoreWhat’s all the buzz at the library?
Nola Ducote, the president of the Lake Area Beekeepers Club, will be stopping by the Sulphur Regional Library to discuss honeybees and why they are so important to the environment.
Read MoreParts of Louisiana have already seen more rain than they did all of 2023. We are just a few days over 5 months into the year, or about 43% through the year, and we are either close to, or above what we saw all 12 months of last year. If you are reading this, you are aware of this, but this is a good way for me to put into perspective how dry it was last year vs. how wet it is this year. The good news is, it seems like we are going to get a few, mostly dry days going forward.
Read MoreAhead of the International Temperate Rice Conference (ITRC) hosted by USA Rice and the Louisiana State University Ag Center, members of the Australian rice industry including the Australian Rice Growers Association and university researchers, took a preconference detour to experience the U.S. rice industry firsthand. The group of 19 arrived in Houston last Wednesday and met up with USA Rice’s Dr. Steve Linscombe, Kane Webb, and Shelby Young for two days of touring south Texas.
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