USA Rice extends condolences to the family and friends of Larry Lawson, who passed away last Friday, September 20, one day before his 80th birthday.
A native of Crowley, Louisiana, Larry dedicated his life to farming rice, soybeans, and crawfish. He graduated from Crowley High School in 1962 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from the University of Southwest Louisiana.
When hurricanes and other natural disasters strike Louisiana, it’s usually not long before elected officials, industry leaders and reporters call the LSU AgCenter seeking expert insight into how widespread and serious the damage is to the state’s agriculture sector.
Read MoreA Central Louisiana resident took to the skies for his 90th birthday.
Horace Austin is a former pilot who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“I owned an aircraft and did quite a bit of flying for the agency and in the work I did. I really enjoyed that very much,” he said.
Read MoreDozens of lathes buzzed under the grind of chisels. Sawdust drifted into small piles on the floor. The scene wasn’t a wood shop but the conference room at North Oaks Diagnostics Center in Hammond.
Artists in the medium of wood – some lifelong woodworkers, some relatively new wood turning hobbyists; some local, some from afar; one blind – toiled over their machines for hours, intent on crafting beautiful ink pens for soldiers stationed overseas.
Dillon Delaney, a 34-year-old waterfowl guide and outfitter, nervously stood just outside one end of a long, well-made blind placed on a rice field levee near Klondike, this past Monday afternoon. Inside was a long bench, where six hunters sat waiting — hoping — teal would soon be flying.
The Louisiana early teal season had opened over the weekend. What’s more, Delaney and his hunters had been slamming them both morning and afternoon the previous two days.
The sugarcane harvest begins today in Assumption Parish and surrounding areas, and officials are advising motorists to stay alert during the first few days of the harvest.
Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon said that there will be an increase in machinery and cane haulers using the highways to transport their products to market over the next few days. Falcon said that drivers can also expect foggy conditions for the first few days of the harvest, asking all to practice extra caution.
Read MoreA Natchitoches Parish man died Sunday afternoon during an accident that happened as he operated his farm tractor, Sheriff Stuart Wright said.
The sheriff's office identified the victim as Charles William Cruse, 53, of Marthaville. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Read MoreMany were left without power and others were devastated by flood waters and damaging winds after Hurricane Francine made landfall earlier this month. This storm was a major setback for cattle ranchers and sugarcane farmers and left them with weeks of additional work.
Cattle ranchers Colleen Landry and her fiancé Cody Batiste operate H&M Ranch in Terrebonne Parish. Despite their pasture being flooded by Hurricane Francine, the couple had no choice but to head out to check on their cattle.
Read MoreIn a move to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the Mississippi River’s vital agricultural and industrial trade routes, the Upper and Lower Mississippi River ports signed their first-ever Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) at the National Waterways Conference’s Annual Meeting. This historic partnership is poised to drive significant advancements in cooperation efforts toward business development, infrastructure investment, and federal support for port operations along America’s Marine Highways 35 and 55.
Read MoreMultiple black bears have been seen in Pointe Coupee Parish. Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux has raised concerns about the increasing number of black bears in the area, stating the parish is “overrun” with them.
“I think it’s just a very unsafe thing. If a person were to ever get in the middle of her mother and her cubs, it could be a very dangerous situation.”
Read MoreFolks in Louisiana are accustomed to finding random things in their yard, and if you have, well you aren't the only one.
Some in the Bayou State are reporting that they have found spoons of sugar in their yard. So, why is it there, and what is the purpose of the sugar in the yard?
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the launch of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network, an initiative designed to provide personalized support to financially distressed farmers and ranchers across the nation
Read MoreFormer high school agriculture teacher and Louisiana FFA executive secretary Cade LeJeune has been appointed the executive director of Louisiana agricultural education and the Louisiana FFA advisor following a nationwide search.
Read MoreCombines are running in Arkansas and Missouri. Meanwhile, Louisiana is tending to the ratoon crop and cotton is ready to be picked in Mississippi.
Paul Johnson completed his main rice harvest on Aug. 10 in Welch, La. Once he harvested the main crop, rice stubble was fertilized and flooded for regrowth, and he will manage the ratoon crop until mid-October.
Read MoreFarm Bureau supports a positive and proactive U.S. trade policy that benefits our agricultural producers. But rising trade challenges and a $30 billion agricultural trade deficit threaten the livelihoods of American farmers and ranchers who depend on growing trade flows and rules-based trade actions.
Now is the time for the administration and Congress to act on a U.S. trade policy that includes commercially meaningful negotiations on two-way trade with U.S. allies and partners. These negotiations should address shared interests in the cross-border exchange of food and agricultural products.
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