These hot, dry conditions have kept firefighters busy across the Caddo Parish.
Just after 4pm on Wednesday, Shreveport Firefighters responded to a woods fire near Linwood and Bert Kouns. Calls came in about heavy black smoke coming from a wooded area behind Brookshire’s.
Read MoreWith avian flu wiping out chicken populations and driving up egg prices, people have been struggling for solutions. US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr has suggested that instead of culling birds that are affected, farmers should consider letting the disease run through the flock to identify and preserve birds that are immune to it.
Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain emphasizes the terrible impact that would have on the industry thusly: “There might be two chickens left when it’s over.”
Read MoreGrowing zones, also referred to as hardiness zones, are geographical areas categorized based on average annual minimum winter temperatures in order to determine which plants are likely to thrive in a specific region.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a Plant Hardiness Zone Map that divides the U.S. into 13 different zones, which helps gardeners choose plants that can survive in their respective climate.
Read MoreLouisiana 5th District Congresswoman Julia Letlow sent a letter this week to the Acting Administrator of the Farm Service Agency in an effort to expedite approval of USDA guaranteed crop loans as farmers begin planting.
Read MoreRice planting got off to a delayed start this year in Texas and southwest Louisiana because of wet and cool conditions early, but it is pedal to the metal this week as growers work to get seeds in the ground.
In Texas, planting progress west of Houston is all over the board with some farmers finished (L.G. Raun in El Campo, and Allen Anderson in East Bernard) to some who have not yet started. A common theme is lack of ground moisture, with several farmers saying they delayed planting because of lack of soil moisture, but with no rain in the forecast, they will plant dry and plan to flush fields for seed germination.
Read MoreThe 2025 Feeding the Economy report continues to show that the U.S. food and agriculture sector is a foundational pillar of American culture and commerce. These industries directly support over 24 million jobs (15% of U.S. employment) and are responsible for more than $9.5 trillion of the country’s economic activity – about one-fifth of total U.S. output.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from the latest Kinder Livestock Auction.
Read MoreClick below for the market report from the latest Red River Livestock Auction.
Read MoreAccording to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Louisiana, there were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, March 16, 2025. Topsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 63 percent adequate, and 33 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 3 percent short, 72 percent adequate, and 25 percent surplus.
Read MoreLess than a year after USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced it was nixing a major cattle inventory report, the agency now says it’s reinstating the July Cattle Inventory report.
Read MoreCommunity organizers in several of the rural towns and villages that dot Franklin Parish have banded together to improve quality of life in their communities.
New festivals, farmers markets and town events fill the parish calendar. Park improvements draw families to once neglected areas. Grant-funded programs are making the areas more pedestrian-friendly.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the expediting of $10 billion in economic assistance payments to certain agricultural producers to mitigate increased economic headwinds faced in 2024. This funding, which provides a one-time payment to farmers of qualifying commodities facing economic hardship, was made available by year-end passage of the FARM Act sponsored by Reps. Trent Kelly (R-MS) and Julia Letlow (R-LA).
Read MoreA proposal from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to impose new fees on ocean carriers with ties to China could take a major toll on America’s farmers and ranchers. Two-thirds of all agriculture exports by volume are shipped overseas, and the cost of transporting them to international trading partners could increase dramatically.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins celebrated National Agriculture Day, reinforcing the importance of American farmers, ranchers, and producers as outlined in President Donald J. Trump’s official proclamation marking the occasion.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on USDA’s announcement that it will release $10 billion in economic assistance for corn, soybean, wheat, cotton, rice and other field crop farmers, which was authorized by Congress in December.
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