Ranking Member Cassidy Slams Biden-Harris' Failed Leadership in Ports Labor Dispute, Demands Action to Prevent Strike

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, slammed President Biden and Vice President Harris for failing to take action to prevent a strike of unionized dockworkers at the East and Gulf Coast ports. Since June, negotiations have stalled between the ports and union officials on a new collective bargaining agreement. The International Longshoremen’s Association indicated that their members may begin a strike following the end of their current contract on September 30 unless a new agreement is reached. 

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Avery Davidson
USDA Restricts PACA Violators in Louisiana, New York and Texas

The USDA has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA, according to a news release.

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Specialty cropsAvery Davidson
Bulls Pushing For Cotton Rally, But Bears Continue To Lurk

Some say just two, but USDA has now given the market three consecutive bullish supply demand reports. Both world and U.S. stocks have come down to very manageable levels. New York is some six cents off its lows and has now ventured into the expected 72-75 cent trading range.

Yet, this market has bears lurking around every corner.

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In Memory: Larry Lawson

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. 

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Cenla Resident Takes to the Skies for 90th Birthday

A 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.

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Avery Davidson
Wood Turners Craft Hundreds of Pens for Soldiers

Dozens 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.

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Avery Davidson
Taking Care of Family Business as Teal Season Opens

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.

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Avery Davidson
As Assumption Parish Kicks Off Sugarcane Harvest, Sheriff Warns Of Foggy Roads, Heavy Machinery

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.

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Tractor Accident Claims Life Of Marthaville Man

A 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.

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don molino
Ranchers, Sugarcane Farmers Recovering from Hurricane Francine

Many 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.

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Corn Belt Ports and Louisiana Ports Sign Cooperative Endeavor Agreement

In 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.

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Avery Davidson