Fueling Louisiana's Sweet Success: How LSU's Research Keeps the Sugarcane Industry Thriving

Louisiana’s sugarcane industry isn’t just a part of the state’s history—it’s a driving force in its economy, generating roughly $4 billion annually and providing jobs across farms, research facilities, and raw sugar factories.

Sustaining this vital industry requires continuous innovation and a partnership between the LSU AgCenter, the USDA, and the American Sugarcane League plays a pivotal role.

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Dr. Orlando F. McMeans to Receive the Career Achievement Award from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Orlando F. McMeans, Ph.D., Chancellor-Dean of the Southern University Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences, has been named one of three 2025 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Career Achievement Award recipients.

The award is presented to alumni who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievements and/or made extraordinary humanitarian contributions resulting in meaningful or life-changing impacts on a significant population.

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Louisiana Monthly Climate Summary: February 2025

February statewide rainfall averaged 5.24” for the month (preliminary estimate), less than 1.00” above the norm (p. 7) and falling within the middle third of all February totals over the past 130 years. While not far from the norm, February 2025 is the “wettest” February statewide since 2020. Monthly totals were generally above the mean, particularly in the northern and western parishes. By contrast, every station in the East Central Climate Division reported. 

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USDA Cancels Biden Era Climate Slush Fund, Reprioritizes Existing Funding to Farmers

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). Following a thorough line by line review of each of these Biden era partnerships, it became clear that the majority of these projects had sky-high administration fees which in many instances provided less than half of the federal funding directly to farmers.

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Louisiana Crop Progress and Condition: April 2025

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Louisiana, there were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, April 13, 2025. Topsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 13 percent short, 67 percent adequate, and 20 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were 1 percent very short, 5 percent short, 77 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus.

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‘A Living Laboratory’: An Accidental Delta Taught Louisiana Scientists How to Rebuild Wetlands

Amid the rapid erosion of Louisiana's coast, something hopeful is happening where the Atchafalaya River meets the Gulf. A flow of sediment from a decades-old river diversion has accidentally given birth to new wetlands.

While that small delta is dwarfed by what’s washing away all around it, researchers have gained knowledge from Wax Lake Delta that could help save the rest of Louisiana’s coast and contribute to a better understanding of wetland science across the globe.

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Avery Davidson
Louisiana Farmers Brace for Trade Turbulence Amid New Tariffs

Louisiana farmers are no strangers to market instability, but the recent wave of tariffs announced on April 2 added a fresh layer of uncertainty to an already difficult planting season.

LFBF Commodity and Public Policy Director Andy Brown, has fielded many phone calls from both farmers and media. He said the farmers are not panicked but rather recognize the reality of the situation.

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