Bayh-Dole Coalition Honors Chowdhury for Breakthrough Cattle Vaccine
LSU Professor of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Shafiqul Chowdhury is featured in the Bayh-Dole Coalition's new 2024 "Faces of American Innovation" report for developing a groundbreaking vaccine.
The Bayh-Dole Coalition, of which the LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development is a member, is a diverse group of innovation-oriented organizations and individuals committed to celebrating and protecting the Bayh-Dole Act, as well as informing policymakers and the public of its many benefits.
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Louisiana Drought Conditions Are the 15th Worst in the U.S.
As 2024 unfolds, it is rapidly becoming the hottest year on record, with unprecedented temperatures being recorded around the world. The sweltering heat is not just uncomfortable but has far-reaching implications for the environment, agriculture, and water resources, exacerbating already existing drought conditions in many regions.
The analysis was conducted by Captain Experiences, a fishing and hunting guide reservation platform, using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Researchers calculated the average Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI) between January 1, 2024 and July 25, 2024, then ranked states accordingly.
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USDA Forecasts Net Farm Income To Fall Further In 2024
USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) forecasts inflation-adjusted U.S. net cash farm income (NCFI), defined as gross cash income minus cash expenses, will decrease by $16.3 billion (9.6 percent) to $154.1 billion in 2024. This would come after an NCFI decrease of $52.9 billion (23.7 percent) in 2023 from an all-time high of $223.3 billion in 2022.
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Rockefeller Refuge Hunters Aiming to Harvest 1,000 Gators This Week
Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge’s annual controlled harvest is underway this week.
Four hunters will be tasked to hunt 1,000 gators in seven days.
Because of the harvest, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will close the refuge until noon each day. After noon, the public will be allowed to enter the refuge and utilize recreational areas until official sunset.
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Congress is Failing America’s Farmers
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on USDA’s net farm income data, which shows a 23% drop in on-farm income since 2022.
"The drop in net farm income is not just an economic hiccup, it’s evidence of an agricultural downturn. High inflation, severe weather and plummeting crop prices should serve as a wake-up call for Congress to finally step up and do the right thing by modernizing the farm bill.
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Collaboration, Award Ceremony Highlights the NCH Extension Conference
Extension agents from both the LSU and Southern University agricultural centers came together at the Baton Rouge Mariott to learn and create new connections at the Louisiana NCH Extension Conference Aug. 28 to 30.
On Aug. 29, attendees went to different presentations, luncheons and ceremonies to learn more about NCH — or nutrition and community health — programs and to connect with other agents they may not have met before.
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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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