LSU AgCenter Leadership Program Application Deadline Approaching
The LSU AgCenter Agricultural Leadership Development Program will continue to accept applications for Class XIX through Aug. 23. Once the applications have been received, an interview process will begin in September to select the class members.
The program was established in 1988 and helps educate its participants on ways to be a voice for agriculture on local, state and national levels. Bobby Soileau, program director, said class members will be exposed to a variety of critical agricultural issues and strategies that can be used to inform the public how the issues affect agriculture and the general populace.
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Cow Country Reporter: August 2024
August is when marketing of our good Louisiana Spring-calves starts to increase. We have also seen the price for slaughter cows decrease slightly, from the highs of early Summer. Demand for ground beef continues to stay good and with school starting up coupled with Labor Day celebration, prices may increase. Continue to reduce the age of your cow herd during these times of high slaughter cow prices, so when the market “heads south” you have a young cow herd.
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Global Economy Impacting Louisiana Farmers
KNOE's Charles Burkett talks to area farmers about how the local economy is impacting the agriculture business.
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Applying Harvest Aids In Louisiana Soybeans
Use of a herbicide as a desiccant in soybean has become popular to potentially improve harvest efficiency in Louisiana. Herbicides such as paraquat, Aim, Sharpen, and sodium chlorate are labeled for use in soybean as a desiccant, but paraquat is the most widely used. The paraquat label states at least 65% of pods should be mature (Figure 1) or moisture content should be 30% or less for indeterminate soybean varieties; and at least 50% of the leaves should have dropped and remaining leaves should be yellow for determinate varieties. Table 1 gives the harvest aid application timing label requirements for the labeled products in soybean.
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Louisiana Farm To School Conference Set For October 2 In Baton Rouge
Join Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program and the LSU AgCenter for the eighth annual Louisiana Farm to School Conference at Pennington Biomedical Convention Center on Oct. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will emphasize three main components of farm to school: education, school gardens and local food purchasing.
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Moving Cotton Harvest Equipment Into Louisiana Is Restricted Without Proper Inspection
As Louisiana cotton producers move into cotton harvest season, Louisianians will see an influx of used and custom cotton harvest equipment moving into and through the state. To protect our cotton producers from the reintroduction of boll weevils, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) implements restrictions for all cotton harvest equipment entering the state.
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Bill Introduced to Provide More Reports on Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing a bill that would require the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to provide more weekly and monthly reports on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production.
Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., and Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., introduced the bill Sustainable Aviation Fuel Information Act with four other co-sponsors. The bill would require the more SAF weekly and monthly reports consistent with other reports published by the EIA.
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RiceTec Marks 25 Years of Hybrid Rice
More than 200 rice farmers, researchers, and industry partners gathered here yesterday, surrounded by golden yellow and green fields filled with FullPage® rice to commemorate RiceTec’s 25th anniversary and the enormous impact the company has had on the industry.
Dr. Brian Ottis, RiceTec’s director of U.S. marketing and product management, kicked off the event, welcoming attendees to the facility that had been turned into a small fair, with multiple food trucks, a beer wagon, and a stage with a local band that kept people’s feet tapping in celebration of the company’s contributions to agricultural innovation.
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USDA Invests Nearly $4.1 Million in Risk Management Education for Farmers, Including Underserved and Organic Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is awarding nearly $4.1 million to organizations and outreach efforts to educate underserved, small-scale, and organic producers on farm risk management and climate-smart farm practices. The funding from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) provides assistance through its Risk Management Education Partnerships for organizations, such as nonprofits and land grant universities, to develop training and resources for producers about risk management options.
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Black Farmers in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi Eligible for Technology, Financial Training from USDA
A new, free program offered by Daitaas and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency aims to increase productivity and profitability for underserved farmers in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The TEAM Tilley Leaders Program allows qualified farmers to participate in a learn-by-doing program that combines financial and risk management education with robust proprietary technology using the farmers’ own financial data to deliver real results. The program is designed to demonstrate how the decisions farmers make throughout the growing season impact their bottom line and profitability.
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Could the 2025 Louisiana Crawfish Season be More Normal? Here’s What Could Change, Why it Matters
Crawfish season in Louisiana this year was heavily impacted by the summer drought in 2023, an arctic blast and rising costs for farmers.
Anyone who wanted to buy live or boiled crawfish faced sky-high prices at retailers. Crawfish prices remained higher than usual through much of the season, selling for as much as almost $13 per pound at one point.
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Potassium Deficiency in Cotton Can Lead to Increased Disease
As the cotton season progresses in Louisiana, there have been several reports of potassium deficiency. Potassium deficiency can weaken the plant, making it easier for plant pathogens to attack. It is very common to see fungal leaf spots on potassium stressed plants. Although pre-mature defoliation due to disease is possible, it is most likely the nutrient deficiency that is the leaf-dropping culprit.
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Best Management Practices For Rice To Be Featured At Field Day In Kaplan September 26
The LSU AgCenter will hold a field day focusing on best management practices for rice production Sept. 26 in Kaplan.
The event will showcase work AgCenter scientists are conducting through a grant from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. It will take place at one of the four model farms taking part in the grant project — Richard Farms, located at 5632 Louisiana Highway 700. Registration will begin at 9 a.m.
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USDA Updates Farm Loan Programs to Increase Financial Freedom, Resilience and Profitability for Agricultural Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announces changes to the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Loan Programs, effective Sept. 25, 2024 — changes that are intended to increase opportunities for farmers and ranchers to be financially viable. These improvements, part of the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule, demonstrate USDA’s commitment to improving farm profitability through farm loans designed to provide important financing options used by producers to cover operating expenses and purchase land and equipment.
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In Battle Against Italian Ryegrass, Cover Crops Add To Arsenal Of Control Options
Many farmers already know cover crops provide a range of benefits. Planted in between cash crop growing seasons when fields would otherwise sit empty, cover crops help reduce erosion, enrich the soil nutrient profile and break up compacted areas.
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