The Farm Bill is Years Overdue
Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain discussing the importance of self-reliance and the Farm Bill. Strain emphasizes the need for countries to achieve self-reliance to buy American products, highlighting the strength of the U.S. dollar. He notes that while countries need to be self-reliant, the U.S. must help them achieve this to maintain trade relationships.
Strain outlines the U.S. strategy to diversify trade by engaging with smaller, less-traveled countries, moving away from reliance on major partners like China.
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Burned Body Found in Louisiana Sugar Cane Field
An investigation is underway after a body was found in a Louisiana sugarcane field on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, a sugarcane farmer discovered the body in his field.
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'Tariffs Not Enough' to Save U.S. Shrimping Industry
The U.S. International Trade Commission recently approved tariffs on frozen warm water shrimp imports from Ecuador, India, Vietnam and Indonesia, aiming to counteract the damage these imports are inflicting on the domestic shrimping industry.
David Chauvin, a Louisiana-based seafood company owner, highlighted the disparity.
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Acadia Parish County Committee Elections
Acadia Parish U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that County Committee elections are over, and the ballots have been counted.
Mr. Ross Thibodeaux was elected to represent local administrative area LAA 1.
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LSU AgCenter & College Of Agriculture Announce 2024 Faculty & Staff Award Winners
The LSU AgCenter and LSU College of Agriculture recognized outstanding faculty and staff during an award ceremony held Dec. 18 at Nelson Memorial on the LSU campus. Recipients were honored for their contributions to research, extension and teaching.
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Avian Influenza Detected In Second Louisiana Backyard Flock
On December 13, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) announced the detection of the first presumptive positive human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1, in Louisiana. Following a report of increased mortality in the non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry) on the property in southwest Louisiana, testing by Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (LADDL) has detected highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the flock.
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Bird Flu Found in SWLA Backyard Flock After Person Hospitalized
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.
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Farm Bureau to Congress: Stand Up for Farmers in CR Dispute
American 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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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