The 2024/25 U.S. corn outlook indicates larger supplies, greater domestic use and exports, and slightly lower ending stocks. Beginning stocks for corn were lowered 145 million bushels largely upon greater use forecasted for 2023/24. Exports were raised by 75 million bushels based on current outstanding sales and shipments to date. Feed and residual use is up 75 million bushels based on indicated disappearance in the Grain Stocks report for June.
Read MoreThe National Corn Growers Association, joined by five other commodity groups, sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo asking her to consider the impacts on farmers as she reviews a petition by the agricultural chemical company Corteva that would place duties on imports of the herbicide 2,4-D.
“Restricting imports of 2,4-D will have wide-ranging consequences for farmers,” the letter said. “American farmers cannot solely rely on Corteva, which is the only domestic supplier of 2,4-D, because there is not enough supply to meet demand.”
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the deadline for commodity and specialty crop producers to apply for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) for 2022 natural disaster losses is Aug. 14, 2024. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began accepting ERP 2022 applications in October 2023.
“If natural disasters impacted your farm or ranch in 2022, there’s still time to submit your application for Emergency Relief Program assistance,” said Ronald Guidry, Jr., FSA State Executive Director for Louisiana. “Don’t delay. Gather up your documents and contact your local FSA office to complete the application process.”
Read MoreFunding for agricultural research — which helps protect the livelihoods of countless American farmers, ensure national security and promote economic development — is critical, U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Boozman said during a July 12 visit to the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station in St. Gabriel.
Cassidy, of Louisiana, and Boozman, of Arkansas, toured the station, where they saw the fields and facilities where scientists develop new, higher-yielding sugarcane varieties as well as strategies to help farmers manage pests and improve other aspects of production.
Read MoreOn July 20 2024 the staff of Sugar Journal will celebrate the winners of the 2024 Sugar Notables. “We have so many outstanding individuals in our sugar industry that have done so much to improve and move the industry forward, that we felt we should celebrate the ‘best of the best’ that were selected,” said Romney Richard, publisher and editor of Sugar Journal.
Friday evening Charley and I welcome the Notables, friends and family to our home for cocktails and a meet and greet. That will be at 6pm, 125 South Cortez St. From the hotel it is a short Uber or streetcar ride.
Read MoreA lawsuit filed today by the American Farm Bureau Federation and 11 other groups challenges the lawfulness of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, which threatens the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing on federal lands.
Gary Heibertshausen, a sheep rancher in Montana and Farm Bureau member, says access to public lands for livestock grazing is crucial to the success of his ranch. “If Willow Creek Partners could not graze its livestock on federal land, we would be forced to sell our sheep and cease operating as a ranch.”
Read MoreAs a first-generation sugar cane farmer and a fourth-generation cattle producer, Amanda Duhon has intimate knowledge of how the nation's meat, grains and produce make their way to grocery shelves and homes.
The food that her family farms on their 800 acres, spread between Lafayette and Maurice, is worked daily by Amanda and her husband, Kelsi Duhon. Often she's working with a baby strapped to her chest, or caring for the Duhon's three sons while her husband is out late during planting season.
Read MoreU.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) met with farmers and others in Louisiana’s agricultural industry with U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), the highest-ranking Republican member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. They participated in discussions and tours regarding Louisiana’s agricultural needs, in anticipation of a future Farm Bill.
The senators went to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation’s Baton Rouge headquarters to meet with officials with the Farm Bureau and various agricultural associations, including the American Sugarcane League, the Louisiana Cotton and Grain Association, Louisiana Rice Growers, the Louisiana Forestry Association, the Louisiana Loggers Association and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.
Read MoreSouthern University received over $1 million in USDA Capacity Building Grants to create a sustainable workforce pipeline through education and skill enhancement.
“We want to bring students from potential to promise,” said Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry at Southern University, Dr. Christopher Chappell.
Read MoreMembers of the DeSoto, Caddo, Bossier and Claiborne Parish Farm Bureaus will deliver fencing materials to ranchers who suffered damage during Monday’s tornadoes as Tropical Storm Beryl made its way across Texas into Arkansas.
The Shreveport office of the National Weather Service issued 67 tornado warnings on July 8. NWS officials later confirmed 19 tornadoes touched down in the area, including at least one in DeSoto Parish.
Read MoreWhat a wild ride Beryl was for parts of Louisiana. The National Weather Service in Shreveport and Lake Charles issued a combined 93 tornado warnings over their Parish/County warning areas. Those weren’t all in Louisiana, but at least 12 tornado tracks have been verified across Louisiana. Rainfall totals were manageable, and in most cases, beneficial across the state. And now, it’s right back to summer in Louisiana.
Read MoreOn July 10, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine formally revealed its spectacular new Food Animal Service area in the large animal hospital attached to the LSU Vet Med building during a ceremony celebrating this state-of-the-art facility. This $4.125 million renovation began in October 2022. More than 9,000 square feet of space was renovated, and another 3,875 square feet were added.
Read MoreIt is amazing that no matter how much you know about rice or whom you know in our industry there is always something new to learn and someone new to meet. This was definitely the case during Session II of the Rice Leadership Development Program as we traveled throughout Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas, all states with which I am very familiar as my territory with Horizon Ag covers northeast Arkansas and Missouri, and I was raised on a rice farm in the Mississippi Delta.
Read MoreFarmers have until July 19 to submit nominations for the 2025 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest. This is the seventh year of the contest which is supported by Nestlé Purina PetCare and celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers.
The grand prize winner – Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year – will win a year’s worth of Purina Pro Plan dog food and $5,000 in prize money. The winner will be recognized at a Farm Dog of the Year award ceremony at the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, in January 2025.
Read MoreThanks to Buck Leonards and the staff at Louisiana Farm and Ranch for providing the digital edition of the latest issue.
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