The LSU AgCenter is excited to host six Master Cattleman Programs throughout the state this spring. The Master Cattleman Program is designed to help beef cattle and forage producers enhance their production and profitability. Participants must complete 30 hours, which includes 10 three-hour blocks of instruction, to become a certified Louisiana Master Cattleman.
Read MoreMeaty with a sweet but oceanic quality, live crawfish are delicious in a seafood boil made with sausage and potatoes. However, these versatile mudbugs are also perfect for sauteing, frying, and baking. The problem? Peak crawfish season only lasts from January to July, which makes it tricky to source top grade crustaceans during the second half of the year; bad news if you're craving a Cajun crawfish pie in October. We spoke to Chef Johnnie Gale, corporate chef at Guidry's Catfish and product and recipe developer at Ocean Select Seafood, to get some expert advice on buying quality crawfish out of season.
Read MoreThe 2025 LSU AgCenter State Livestock Show, set for Feb. 11-18 at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, has been dedicated to Donaldsonville native Frank Sotile.
He exhibited his first 4-H steer at the LSU show in 1950 when he was 9 years old, sparking a lifetime of dedication to the organization, according to the AgCenter.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the following statement commending Mexico’s action to declare ineffective measures concerning genetically engineered (GE) corn that the United States successfully challenged in the USMCA dispute. The action safeguards approximately $5.6 billion in U.S. corn exports to Mexico. USDA, in coordination with USTR, will continue to monitor Mexico’s compliance with its USMCA commitments.
Read MoreThe National Organic Program is aware that certifiers and certified operations have received emails from sources pretending to be the USDA. These emails, referred to as phishing emails, have been sent using the following information:
Read MoreAcross the nation, bird flu is destroying flocks and creating egg shortages. In Southeast Louisiana, farmers are filling that poultry gap.
Kickn' Chickn' Farm is a homestead in Zachary that sells eggs. Over the past three weeks, Owners Chris and Nicole Young said business has grown and now the farm has backorders for all the eggs demanded.
Read MoreFresh food is a premium in neighborhoods where transportation is lacking and walkability to fresh produce is not feasible. In the capital city, Baton Roots not only grows food in those communities to counteract such issues but is also paving a path toward horticultural futures by training the next generation of urban gardeners.
Read MoreA new round of genetic seafood testing conducted for a state advisory panel detected foreign shrimp that was falsely presented as domestic in a small percentage of the restaurants sampled in New Orleans, despite a new state law that forbids the practice.
Read MoreIn the wake of recent natural disasters causing severe damage to Louisiana’s timber economy, Congresswoman Julia Letlow has introduced legislation adding improvements to disaster relief programs for forest landowners.
Read MoreYesterday proved to be a busy day for rice growers from southeast Texas to central and northeast Louisiana.
In what was likely a first time, and probably on nobody’s Bingo card, the SETX Rice Symposium had to be rescheduled due to an unprecedented snow event across the Gulf Coast region in late January. Dr. Mithila Jugulam, director of the Rice Research Station in Beaumont, welcomed growers and industry representatives to the Winnie Stovall Community Center yesterday afternoon.
America’s farmers and ranchers need a new, modernized farm bill, a strengthened farm safety net, and open trading markets. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall traveled to the Capitol to emphasize those priorities to the Senate Agriculture Committee today as he testified in the hearing “Perspectives from the Field: Farmer and Rancher Views on the Agricultural Economy, Part I.”
Read MoreAs a precautionary measure, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has closed a molluscan shellfish harvesting area in Area 3 and ordered a recall of all oysters harvested from that area since January 10, 2025. This includes shucked, frozen, breaded, post-harvest processed and oysters for the half-shell market due to norovirus-like illnesses reported from oysters consumed from that area. Area 3 is located east of Lake Borgne, north of Eloi Bay, and includes Chandeleur Islands and surrounding marshes.
All Louisiana oysters harvested outside of Area 3 as well as all other Louisiana seafood statewide is safe for consumption. Oyster Area 3 is only one of 30 Oyster Areas that are harvested along Louisiana’s coast.
Read MoreMardi Gras season is a busy time at Twin’s Burgers and Sweets, but this year, the holiday rush comes with a hefty price tag. Eggs, a staple ingredient at the bakery, have become significantly more expensive following the outbreak of avian flu across the U.S.
Owner Billy Guilbeaux said the increase in egg prices are hitting hard. “We go through cases of eggs every week,” Guilbeaux explained. “It is a big cost for us, eggs are an important ingredient in everything that we make.”
Read MoreThe Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center proudly launched its inaugural FAA Part 107 small, unmanned aircraft certification course on January 25, 2025 in Opelousas, La. This pioneering initiative aims to equip Louisiana youth with the skills and credentials necessary to legally operate drones for commercial purposes, opening doors to a range of professional opportunities in emerging industries.
Read MoreThe Southern University College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences (CAHES) will host its VET Explore 2025 event on April 26, 2025 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Arena, 14600 Scenic Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA 70807.
The event is free and open to 9th - 12th graders and undergraduate college students who are interested in becoming veterinarians, however, registration is required.
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