Bird flu has been detected in a backyard flock in Southwest Louisiana after a person exposed to the flock tested positive for the illness.
The SWLA resident was the first person in the state diagnosed with H5N1 and became the first person in the U.S. with a severe case of the disease in the current outbreak. They are hospitalized in Louisiana in critical condition, health officials said Wednesday.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall delivered a letter to Congress urging elected leaders to stand with farmers as they reconsider the contents of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government and potentially offer a lifeline to farmers and ranchers. Below are excerpts from the letter.
“Any alternative Continuing Resolution (CR) must include: a farm bill extension, aid to rebuild after natural disasters, economic assistance to bridge the gap until we can get to a new farm bill, and year-round E-15 sales.”
Read MoreTensas 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 MoreMove 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 MoreIf 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 MoreEvery 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 MoreThe 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 MoreThe 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 MoreCongress 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 MoreA 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 MoreLSU 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 MoreCalcasieu-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 MoreBeauregard-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 MoreAmerican 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 MoreTesting 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).
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