Ouachita Parish 4-H held a livestock show on Sunday, Jan. 13, at the Ike Hamilton Center in West Monroe.
The event featured many animals and was an opportunity to showcase youth involvement in agriculture.
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We are now about 5 days out from a potentially impactful winter storm that could affect the entire state. Here’s what we know so far.
First and foremost, it will get cold. Very cold. We could easily see lows in the teens in the northern third of Louisiana, with a hard freeze possible to the coast. There will be at least 3 nights where we see conditions like that, and it’s possible we could see even colder conditions if we end up seeing significant snow and ice.
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To be or not to be a beekeeper: That is the question that may be answered Jan. 18 when expert Jay Martin takes part in Backyard Brouhaha, a daylong symposium about turning your property into a habitat for bees, birds, butterflies and chickens.
The event starts at 9:30 a.m. at the East Bank Regional Library at 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., in Metairie.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the publication of an interim rule on Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks. The interim rule establishes guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of biofuel feedstock commodity crops grown in the United States. These guidelines will facilitate the recognition of climate-smart agriculture within clean transportation fuel programs, creating new market opportunities for biofuel feedstock producers while enhancing climate benefits.
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At a luncheon Jan. 9, one farmer was awarded a new Master Farmer certification and five others were recertified as Master Farmers during the 2025 meeting of the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts.
The Outstanding Master Farmer Award also was presented to Wesley and Kevin Volentine, of Volentine Partnership Farm in Caddo Parish.
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Local contract research organization, Pest Management Enterprises (PME), has been acquired by the SynTech Research Group, becoming its primary Louisiana contract research organization (CRO) site. The acquisition promises growth and expanded resources for the local research facility.
According to a letter released by PME, the current research staff will remain in place, with plans for expansion in the coming years.
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Current Farms in Union Parish is working to get back to normal after an EF-2 tornado ripped through the property, damaging crops and structures on January 5.
Brothers Conrad and Kaden Cable are trying to see what they still have available for their farm share.
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Demand for U.S. cotton has appeared weak for several years. The weak demand was balanced out by short U.S. cotton crops in 2022 (drought) and 2023 (drought, too wet, and then too hot). 2024 started off promising but ended with a mix of wet/hot/dry in places around the Cotton Belt. Some folks had decent production, but most everybody was sunk by the market, which fell from the mid-80s to under 70 cents between early planting season and harvest.
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The LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant will hold the Louisiana Regional Fisheries Summit March 25 in Slidell.
The daylong event, which will focus on freshwater impacts in the Pontchartrain Basin, will provide information relevant to the commercial and recreation-for-hire fishing industries.
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While this year’s crawfish harvest is projected to be a successful one, LSU AgCenter Aquaculture Specialist Mark Shirley says it could be compromised with the upcoming freezing cold temperatures.
“Usually when we have cold weather like we’re expecting next week, it probably will slow down the catch for several days,” Shirley said.
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A pair of policy directives signed into law by Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader just before the new year have put burgeoning exports of US rice to the country in the crosshairs, according to industry advocate USA Rice.
Bobby Hanks, a Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee, said these policy directives come at a crucial point in the countries’ trade relationship.
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Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, which includes timberland, remains a widely debated and often controversial topic, fueled by concerns about the implications of foreign investments — especially those from nations viewed as adversarial to the U.S. Since our previous analysis, Foreign Investment in U.S. Ag Land – The Latest Numbers, two additional years of data — 2022 and 2023 — have become available.
This article updates the trends in foreign ownership, revealing a 1.58-million-acre increase in foreign-held agricultural land between 2022 and 2023, driven primarily by investments linked to renewable energy projects.
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American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the final USDA poultry tournament rule under the Packers & Stockyards Act.
“Farm Bureau appreciates USDA’s commitment to bringing greater fairness to farmers who raise poultry under the tournament system.”
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As farmers begin making plans for the upcoming growing season, many are bracing for the likelihood of another year marked by tight margins.
“Production costs for 2025 are estimated to decrease for the second consecutive year, which is good news,” said LSU AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing an investment of more than $70 million in 357 projects in Fiscal Year 2025 through the 2008 Farm Bill’s Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program. The work will strengthen the country’s defenses against plant pests and diseases, safeguard the U.S. nursery system, and enhance pest detection and mitigation efforts. Universities, states, Tribal organizations, federal agencies, and others will manage these projects in 49 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
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