USA Rice Joins U.S.-Mexico Ag Trade Talks

Nearly 50 individuals participated here in an Executive Roundtable on U.S.-Mexico Agricultural Trade and Transportation.  The newly arrived U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ron Johnson, marked his first public event by opening up the meeting and Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Julio Berdegué Sacristá, highlighted the interdependent nature of both countries noting how they complement, rather than compete with one another. 

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RiceAllie Shipley
LSU AgCenter To Hold Rice Field Day June 24

The event will give visitors a chance to hear from AgCenter experts about their work to improve rice production and see station research plots firsthand. Field tours, which will be offered from 7 to 8:30 a.m., will cover variety breeding, pest management and agronomic issues.

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Ricedon molino
Meet the 2025 Sugar Notables

On July 19, 2025, the Sugar Journal staff will celebrate the 2025 Sugar Notables winners. “We have so many outstanding individuals in our sugar industry that have done so much to improve and move the industry forward that we felt we should celebrate the ‘best of the best’ that were selected,” said Romney Richard, publisher, and editor of Sugar Journal.

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Farm Bureau Encourages Broader Access to Nutritious Milk in Schools

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Senate Agriculture Committee’s markup of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.

“Farm Bureau appreciates the Senate Agriculture Committee’s markup and passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. This bipartisan legislation will allow schools to offer additional nutritious milk varieties to students. Whole and 2% milk, as well as flavored options, are wholesome choices for children and an important building block for a healthy, balanced diet.”

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Fatal Tractor Crash Prompts Farm Road Safety Push

Late May, a fatal crash with a sugarcane tractor claiming the life of Michelle Seaton of Maurice put road safety in the spotlight months before sugarcane season began.

“I think this is an important topic, especially during the spring and in the fall of the year, when we have planning and harvesting,” said Ron Czajkowski, the Safety Coordinator with Acadiana Region Destination Zero Deaths.

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Yield, Not Price, Will Determine 2025 Cotton Success

This year reminds us that what happens tomorrow is much more important than what happened today.

Even though cotton production is off to a very late and wet beginning across the Southeast and Mid-South, much of the Southwest has received very timely and beneficial rains. Better weather tomorrow offers the potential for a bigger and better crop.

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Cottondon molino
Louisiana Crop Progress Report: May 27, 2025

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Louisiana, there were 5.5 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, May 25, 2025. Topsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 11 percent short, 70 percent adequate, and 19 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 8 percent short, 81 percent adequate, and 11 percent surplus.

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USDAdon molino
These Louisiana Oysters are Built Different. Will the Salty 'Jewels' Gain a Place at the Table?

Elizabeth Robinson enters a cool, damp room with fluorescent lights and dozens of large plastic bags holding liquid ranging from pastel yellow to dark rust.

It's not the typical image associated with Louisiana's oyster industry. But the lab and its process of growing algae play a key role in the nascent off-bottom oyster farming industry that's been expanding on and around Grand Isle over the past few years.

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2025 Tax Cliff: The Impact of the Tax Code

The Dec. 31, 2025, expiration of many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) adds a new task to the 2025 congressional to-do list: updating the tax code. Many TCJA provisions provided important relief for farm families. While reductions in the corporate income tax rates were made permanent in 2017, income tax cuts for individuals began to phase out in 2022, with the biggest tax increases coming with expirations at the end of 2025. This Market Intel report is the fifth in a series exploring the expiring TCJA provisions – including individual tax provisions, the qualified business income deduction, capital expensing provisions and estate taxes– and their impact on farm families.

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