Union Parish 4-H’ers had the opportunity to compete for best in state in more than 40 events ranging from plant identification, photography and fishing sports to speechmaking and fashion design. During 4-H U, participants were introduced to aspects of life that college students experience on an everyday basis. 4-H’ers had the opportunity to tour a working dairy, a biomedical center and athletic facilities.
Read MoreOn May 28, 2024 bipartisan legislation passed both the Louisiana House with 99 Yeas and 0 Nays and the Louisiana Senate 31 Yeas and 0 Nays. LA HCR-42 (2024) places focus of bagasse utilization and was generated by testimony provided by Dr. Clyde (Pat) Bagley and Agricultural Commissioner, The Honorable Dr. Michael Strain.
Read MoreJay Grymes, chief meteorologist for WAFB-TV and interim Louisiana state climatologist since February, has been named the permanent state climatologist, effective Aug. 1.
Grymes recently announced he is retiring from WAFB this month after nearly 30 years with the station and joining the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, or GOHSEP, to assist the state with emergency response and mitigation. In addition, as the state climatologist, he will direct the operations of the Louisiana Office of State Climatology, housed at LSU.
Read MoreOn June 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implemented a new final rule to enhance protections for agricultural workers, both American and foreign, particularly those employed under H-2A status. This rule strengthens enforcement measures to ensure compliance with federal labor laws, boosting worker protection obligations in several key areas.
Read MoreTwenty-four of Louisiana’s most poised and talented ladies representing various parishes competed for the coveted crown. Eager to represent the organization for the upcoming year, this year’s slate of contestants participated in multiple rounds of competition, which included both interviews and evening gown presentations.
Read MoreConcerns are growing statewide over a bark beetle infestation.
Trees, especially pines, are vital to Louisiana’s economy. Here in Southwest Louisiana, Vernon, Beauregard and Allen parishes contain miles and miles of pine tree forests and farms important to their economy.
Read MoreA donkey named "Speckles" was reported missing Friday evening near Natchitoches.
Owners have made several efforts to locate “Speckles”, but so far all attempts have been unsuccessful. “Speckles” could be in the area of state Highway 1, White Oak Lane, Chinquapin.
Read MoreParks native Hannah Devall takes home a title at the 2024 Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention held in New Orleans.
What started out as Devall’s high school passion led her to win the Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Meet Contest which focuses on cooperation, teamwork and critical thinking.
Read MoreIn the coming days, the state’s House Emergency Beetle Subcommittee of the House Committee on Agriculture is scheduled to host its first meeting at the state capitol. The panel is set to convene on July 9, and will address the devastation of Louisiana’s forest industry due to an infestation of beetles.
In 2023, the LSU Agriculture Center reported that 50,000 acres of forests in the state were burned due to wildfires last summer, costing $71.4 million.
Read MoreLevel 2 Climate Smart Cotton Program enrollment is open to U.S. cotton growers. The program, led by the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, gives Level 1 growers the opportunity to receive additional financial support for implementing Climate Smart Practice Changes into their operations.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter will hold its sugarcane field day Wednesday, July 17, at the Sugar Research Station in St. Gabriel.
The day will begin with a field tour covering multiple topics from AgCenter specialists.
Read MoreOn Sunday, fourth-generation rice farmer Richard Fontenot of Ville Platte was elected the 13th president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau.
Fontenot, who in addition to rice farms soybeans and crawfish, succeeds Jim Harper of Cheneyville, in leading the more than 100-year-old organization.
Read MoreThe ancient underwater forest about eight miles off the coast of Gulf Shores, Alabama, is known as a time capsule from the last ice age—and for the first time, researchers understand why. Chemical and pollen analyses found the bald cypress trees were buried in sediment from swamp and marsh ecosystems, like those in southeastern United States today. Such low-oxygen environments helped preserve the wood, which is more than 60,000 years old and grew on land at a time when sea levels were much lower than they are today.
Read MoreAll eyes are on Hurricane Beryl. Here’s how I see things going for Louisiana.
Beryl will likely maintain major hurricane status as it approaches Jamaica. There will be some weakening over the next few days, but it looks like a Jamaica landfall, or very close call will happen, causing some big problems there today. After that the forecast track takes Hurricane Beryl just south of Cancun and Cozumel sometime Thursday night. If that happens, Beryl would spend around 12 hours over land, and would likely weaken to a strong tropical storm, or minimal hurricane.
Read MoreThe Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SU Ag Center) and the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences (CAHES) have been awarded three capacity building grants through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) 1890 Institution Teaching, Research and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program.
This program aids 1890 historically black Land-Grant Universities in building capacity in the areas of teaching, research, and extension activities, which include enhancing curriculums and faculty development, student recruitment and retention, research enhancement, and extension program development.
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