Tensas Parish Farm Service Agency Announces County Committee Election Results
Tensas Parish Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that Donnie Vandeven of Saint Joseph was elected to represent local administrative area (LAA) # 02.
Sylvester Davis of Saint Joseph will serve as the first alternate.
Read More
Crawfish Season Starts Early, Sparking Hope for Farmers After a Bad Year
Move over, Christmas – crawfish season has arrived.
It’s here much earlier than usual, as harvesting operations across the state usually begin around January.
This is great news for fans of crawdads, especially compared to last year when a severe drought affected crawfish farms across the state, leading to a surge in prices and shorter inventory.
Read More
New Wasting Disease Deer Death Prompts Concerns, Warning
If you enjoy getting in some hunting over the winter months, there's a new alert out about a fatal disease in deer.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) killed a deer in a captive herd in Jefferson Davis parish in early November. This, in addition to nearly two dozen cases detected in deer in the wild in Louisiana, has brought on the heightened concerns.
Read More
Annual Award Recipients Contribute to U.S. Rice Industry Successes
Every year at the Annual Rice Awards Luncheon, Rice Farming Magazine bestows three awards: Rice Farmer of the Year, the Rice Industry Award, and the Rice Lifetime Achievement Award. These annual recognitions, co-sponsored by Horizon Ag and USA Rice, highlight some of the most positive achievements associated with the U.S. rice industry.
Read More
USDA Requests Input on Environmental Impacts of the Tree Assistance Program and Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) welcomes input on the assessment of environmental impacts on two programs – the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting comments until Jan. 18 on its draft programmatic environmental assessments. The TAP environmental assessment includes updates to streamline the program and enable a quick response to natural disasters. The FSFL environmental assessment recommends continuing the program as currently administered.
Read More
LSU AgCenter Variety And Fungicide Trials Help Determine Best Management Practices
The LSU AgCenter conducts research that provides valuable information for Louisiana farmers. To help growers make informed decisions about variety selection and fungicide use, the LSU AgCenter conducts side-by-side soybean official variety trials (OVT) at research stations. For the OVT, seed companies and university-based breeding programs enter varieties to be evaluated in different growing conditions across Louisiana.
Read More
Congress Pulls Spending Measure with Economic, Disaster Aid for Farmers
Congress appears to have failed to reach a consensus Wednesday on a Continuing Resolution.
We're grateful to you, our grassroots members, for taking the time let your representatives in Washington, D.C. know Louisiana agriculture cannot be ignored.
Read More
Research Team Awarded Grant to Better Train Farm Workers on Food Safety, Handling
A team of researchers in Louisiana and Florida recently received nearly $500,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture to better train farm workers and underserved farmers in food safety practices.
The team, composed of researchers from the LSU AgCenter, Southern University Ag Center and Florida A&M University, will use the funds to provide interactive techniques, which the researchers believe will provide better learning opportunities for the farm workers.
Read More
LSU AgCenter Researchers Slated to Speak at Midsouth Multi-conference Event
LSU AgCenter experts will be featured speakers during a national multi-conference event, Jan. 27 and 28 in East Memphis, Tennessee. The conferences include the National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice, Southern Soybean and Corn, Delta States Irrigation and the Southern Precision Ag Conferences.
The conference will mark the 28th year that LSU AgCenter along with six other Midsouth universities have co-sponsored these conferences. The other universities are Auburn University, Mississippi State University, University of Arkansas, University of Missouri, University of Tennessee and Texas A&M University.
Read More
Calcasieu-Cameron Parish FSA County Committee Elections Over
Calcasieu-Cameron Parish U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that County Committee elections are over, and the ballots have been counted.
Robert Denison of Iowa was re-elected to represent local administrative area 1 (LAA 1) and Adam Habetz of Choupique was elected to represent local administrative area 5 (LAA-5).
Read More
Beauregard-Vernon Parish FSA County Committee Election Over
Beauregard-Vernon Parish U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that County Committee elections are over, and the ballots have been counted.
Joey Andrews of DeRidder was re-elected to represent local administrative area 3 (LAA 3).
Read More
Farmers Ask Congress to Pass Critical Assistance
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall today is asking Congress to pass the continuing resolution bill that includes support for farmers.
“I know I speak for farmers across the country when I say thank you to Speaker Johnson, Leaders Jeffries, Schumer and McConnell, and many other members of Congress for recognizing the incredibly difficult agricultural economy by including in the year-end legislation: much-needed economic assistance for farmers; emergency aid for communities devastated by natural disasters; a farm bill extension; and for making E-15 available at fuel pumps all year long.
Read More
Avian Influenza Found in Louisiana Backyard Flock; Producers Urged to Take Precautions
Testing has confirmed a case of avian influenza in a backyard flock in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. The backyard flock owner alerted the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry of increased mortality in the backyard flock. Following an investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry).
Read More
This Crisis Does Not End on the Farm
The American farm economy is in crisis, and farmers need immediate supplemental economic assistance to stay afloat.
Louisiana Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation worked over the weekend to ensure a final government funding deal did not leave agriculture behind. Congressional leaders floated the idea of a clean Continuing Resolution with a simple Farm Bill extension. Agricultural advocates responded with a clear message: “No. We won’t be left out this time.”
Read More
Flesh-eating Maggots Halted All Cattle Imports From Mexico: Here's What it Means for Louisiana
A flesh-eating maggot that had been eradicated in the U.S. and parts of Central America is back and could potentially threaten Louisiana cattle, experts in the beef industry are warning.
Due to the reappearance of New World screwworms in Mexico — a type of flesh-eating maggot — the USDA has suspended all cattle and bison imports.
Read More