Louisiana to Expand Alligator Hunting Season as Reptiles Overrun Streets, Neighborhoods
Louisiana, which lawmakers said has become overrun with alligators, plans to extend the 2025 hunting season for the wild reptiles.
The Louisiana Wildlife Commission approved a notice of intent this week to set the East Zone season from the last Wednesday in August until Dec. 31 and the West Zone season from the first Wednesday in September until Dec. 31.
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Sugar 101: Meet Your Made-In-America Sweetener
It’s a new year and there’s a new Congress in town! It’s time for a refresher on how sugar is made in America. This is the first in our new series of Sugar Beat newsletters covering the basics of sweet – so stay tuned for more Sugar 101.
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Decades-Old Meat Processing Plant At Southern University Is getting Upgraded
A meat processing plant that has been on Southern University's campus for more than 40 years thanks to one man's hard work is slated to receive an upgrade.
The plant has been operating since 1972 thanks to funds secured by the late Dr. George E. Robinson Jr., who once served as the dean of Southern's School of Agriculture.
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Plainview Men Arrested For Theft Of LDAF Property
On January 31, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) personnel reported several items stolen from the LDAF Plainview Tower building in Rapides Parish. Stolen items included a 2021 Honda ATV, a burn tank sprayer, a Stihl chainsaw, and a Stihl backpack blower.
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4-H'er Achieves Her Vet School Dream With Mentor's Guidance
Growing up in Acadia Parish, Kathryn LeBlanc had a dream of one day being a veterinarian. Her family was involved in rescuing dogs, and the idea of making a career that would allow her to help animals in need intrigued her.
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Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) Crop Insurance Policy Mechanics for 2025
The optional Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) endorsement provides additional coverage for a portion of an individual producer’s underlying crop insurance policy deductible. The basic operational mechanics of the SCO endorsement follows/ ‘mirrors’ underlying policy coverage. If the producer purchases a yield protection (revenue protection) policy, then SCO covers yield loss (revenue loss). The amount of coverage depends on the liability, coverage level, and approved yield for the underlying policy.
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The Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) Crop Insurance Program for 2025
The Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) allows producers to supplement their current underlying individual insurance coverage and provides area-based coverage for a portion of the deductible of the producer’s underlying policy in a manner like the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO). ECO utilizes the same expected and final area yields, projected and harvest prices, and payment factors as SCO but covers a band from 86% (where SCO coverage ends) up to 90% or 95% of expected crop value. Like SCO, ECO is based on a producer’s underlying insurance coverage.
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La. Rep. Carter Signs on as Cosponsor of Bicameral Effort to Restore FAFSA Exemptions for Farm and Small Business Families
U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), alongside House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson (PA-15), and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) led 74 of their colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act. In July 2024, provisions from the Federal Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act altered the federal formula for determining student aid.
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From Tree to Table: A Guide to Growing Pecans in Louisiana
There’s nothing quite like pecans. With their rich, buttery flavor, these nuts are a staple of Louisiana culture and cuisine.
If you’d like to produce your own pecans, November through March is an ideal time to plant these trees. There are a few considerations to take into account first.
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LSU AgCenter Hunger Project ‘On Hold’ Amid USAID Freeze
A $22 million project involving the LSU AgCenter has been paused while the Trump administration reviews spending at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
LSU is part of the Feed the Future Climate Resilient Cereals Innovational Lab, which researchers at Kansas State University lead. It seeks to make cereal crops – such as rice, wheat, miller and sorghum – more readily available to those at risk of hunger, according to an AgCenter blog post.
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Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease Found in St. Landry Parish, 2 Other Louisiana Parishes
Three more deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Louisiana, one of them in St. Landry Parish, officials said.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said CWD was found in captive deer in pens permitted by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The recent detections in St. Landry, Concordia, and Tangipahoa parishes are linked to trace outs from a captive CWD positive deer pen in Jefferson Davis Parish, where CWD was first confirmed in a captive deer back in November.
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Cotton Farmers Can Expect 15 New Varieties For 2025
As cotton producers prepare for #Plant25, over 20 new cotton varieties are commercially available. Here is the annual roundup, featuring the 2025 releases that provide an array of options for farmers throughout the Cotton Belt.
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Southern University Ag Center Set To Host The 3rd Annual Boots & Bling Affair
The Southern University Ag Center will host its 3rd Annual Boots and Bling Affair on Saturday, February 22, 2025, from 7 p.m. – 12 a.m. in the F.G. Clark Activity Center on Southern University’s campus.
Funds raised from the Boots and Bling Affair will be used to provide scholarship awards and necessary equipment to youth exhibitors participating in the Ag Center's Annual Livestock and Poultry Show.
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LSU Researchers Develop Way To Keep Eggs Fresh For Longer Using Crawfish Shells
Louisiana produces 850 million pounds of seafood each year, according to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board. Much of that includes crustaceans like crawfish, shrimp, and crab. It follows that Louisiana also produces a lot of seafood waste once those crustaceans are processed. However, researchers at LSU’s School of Nutrition and Food Science have developed a way to turn a smelly byproduct of the seafood industry into a way to make other foods last longer on the shelf.
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Pre-Vet Program at McNeese Lays a Strong Foundation for Veterinary School
Ashton Landry, McNeese State University alumna, is well on her way to becoming a veterinarian after completing McNeese’s agricultural sciences program. Her path is one that current pre-veterinary students, like junior Madison Watson and sophomore Jade Bel, want to follow.
From the start of her college career, Landry knew she wanted to attend veterinary school. To begin, she chose to study agricultural sciences at McNeese. The small class sizes and hands-on program made it a great choice for her.
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