New Fiscal Year 2025 Funding For Agricultural Conservation Easements Announced
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced new funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for fiscal year 2025 as part of President Biden and Vice President Harris’ Investing in America agenda. Administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the program helps landowners and other eligible entities conserve, restore, and protect wetlands, productive agricultural lands, and grasslands at risk of conversion to non-grassland uses. Healthy wetlands, grasslands, and farmlands sequester carbon and provide many other natural resource benefits. Today’s funding is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate action in history.
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Walking & Talking Louisiana Fields: September 3, 2024
Things are looking pretty good overall, we’re done with corn harvest, most of my guys are harvesting rice right now, some of the guys are getting close to the end of rice harvest. Overall, I’d say, we’re in the middle to the other side of rice harvest. Soybean harvest is in full swing, making a lot of progress there. Just starting to defoliate, I guess about ten days into defoliating some cotton.
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Ouachita Residents Oppose Solar Installation
Residents of McHenry Gin Road in Monroe attended the Ouachita Parish Police Jury’s meeting Tuesday to oppose a new solar farm development on U.S. Hwy 165.
“On July 15, you passed Ordinance No. 9489,” said Kevin Hopper, whose property is behind the solar farm. “That has changed our lives from our quiet country homes that we’ve been living in for many years overnight. Today, it’s a construction zone. There’s heavy equipment running in the early mornings and late in the afternoons when we get home. It affects my neighbors here and my friends here.”
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The Time is Now to Pass a Farm Bill
Regardless of whether or not you’ve ever set foot on a farm, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act would impact you.
The Farm, Food and National Security Act is the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the Farm Bill. It is a key piece of legislation that has the potential to affect an array of agricultural and food policies.
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Kinder Livestock Auction: September 2, 2024
Click below for the market report from the latest Kinder Livestock Auction.
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SU Ag Center to Host Drone Demo Daze for Youth
The Southern University Ag Center’s Youth Development program will host its first Drone Demo Daze event on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the M. A. Edmond Livestock Arena Multi-Purpose Building, located at 14600 Scenic Hwy. in Baton Rouge, La.
The event will introduce the Ag Center’s drone program to 13-17-year-olds by providing information on careers in the drone industry, drone safety information, and ways to monitor the weather to determine if it is safe to fly a drone. The students will also have the opportunity to fly a drone.
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Precision Ag Specialist to Connect Louisiana Producers with Artificial Intelligence, New Technologies
Two-spotted spider mites are a top concern for strawberry farmers. These tiny insects attack plants, causing leaf cells to collapse and die.
The bugs grow less than a millimeter in length, but accurately counting the pests can help farmers decide the optimal method for controlling them.
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The Age: Beaumont Rice Mills shuts down after 132 years
The sprawling historic Beaumont Rice Mills, situated at 1800 Pecos Street in Beaumont, Texas, loomed bleak and large, dominating the landscape as I approached for an interview with the mill president, Louis Broussard, Jr. His son, Jacob, arrived just in time to direct me to the third-story office where the business of the mill was being wrapped up.
Louisiana’s rice boom started around 1884 with the introduction of mechanical harvesting equipment, but due to pricey Louisiana land, many of the farmers headed across the state line to Texas, where land was abundant and cheap.
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The West Carroll Parish FSA is Hiring
The USDA Farm Service Agency is looking for a Loan Assistant/Specialist (Agriculture) to work out of the office in Oak Grove, La. Anyone interested has until September 9, 2024 to apply.
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LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Field Day Celebrates Past, Highlights Current Research
With the late-summer sun beating down on them, attendees of the LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station’s annual field day Aug. 29 stood before a plot where every couple of rows was marked with the name of a different variety.
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USDA Announces September 2024 Lending Rates for Agricultural Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for September 2024, which are effective Sept. 1, 2024. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.
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Get The Most From Your Cotton Harvest Aid Program
Each crop year presents a different set of challenges, prompting many producers to recall the number of experiences they have had in farming as opposed to how many years of experience they have farming. The 2024 growing season is running ahead for most by about a week based on USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Information reports released the end of July. Some regions are running as much as two weeks ahead of the last five-year average. This certainly calls for an evaluation of your harvest aid strategy and program.
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The Farmer's Forecast: Rain at Harvest
It looks like some heavy rain is possible across Louisiana through Friday morning. The severe threat is low, but the chance for an impactful rain, that could keep you from being able to do the work you need to get done is quite likely.
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LSU Uses Artificial Intelligence for More Accurate, Faster Wildfire Detection and Prediction
Uncontained wildfires can quickly engulf homes and infrastructure, leading to significant economic losses, displacement of communities, and health risks due to smoke. They also present significant threats to forests, grasslands, and other natural habitats, leading to the death or displacement of countless animals and plants.
Providing firefighting teams with the best technology improves their chances of containing wildfires before they cause widespread damage.
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Customer, Vendor Bonds Key Ingredient of Alexandria Farmers Market's Success
Every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m., the parking lot across from First United Methodist Church on Jackson Street bustles with the activity of the Alexandria Farmers Market.
And starting Tuesday (Sept. 3) it will be bustling with even more activity as it prepares to celebrate its 10-year anniversary at each market throughout September, with several special activities planned for each Tuesday of the month.
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