Politico's Grace Yarrow and Marcia Brown reported Wednesday that Republican "lawmakers are currently weighing whether to put Biden-era conservation programs into their party-line megabill that might have otherwise been included in their separate reauthorization of federal farm programs, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations."
Yarrow and Brown reported that the possibility of moving conservation programs into the megabill is "sending more signals they doubt their ability to pass a new, bipartisan farm bill this year."
Farmer sentiment improved in April as producers expressed more optimism about current and future conditions on their farms.
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has closed South Farm on Sherburne Wildlife Management Area (WMA) due to flooding.
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Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is urging Louisiana residents to prepare for heavy rainfall which is expected to develop Tuesday evening and continue through Wednesday. The rain could produce flash flooding across the region.
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I had planned to start out our May CPL Country Reporter with a market summary of record prices, however, every week in April both the calves and feeders broke "all-time records" as did the slaughter steer and heifer (fat cattle) market. So, by the time y'all get this report these prices will be "old news.'
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This report contains the results from the Crop Progress and Condition weekly survey. The survey is completed by parish extension agents’ visual observations and contact with producers in their parish.
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In USDA’s March 31 Prospective Plantings report, farmers said they intended to plant 9.87 million acres of cotton this year – down 12% from last year. Some industry observers expected as much as a 15% decline. I wonder now if, in fact, that’s where we’re headed. New crop prices (Dec.‘25 futures) haven’t helped.
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On May 1, West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 38-year-old Johnny L. Payne II of Port Allen in West Baton Rouge Parish regarding theft of livestock
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A flood watch is in effect from Rodessa to Venice, and Lake Providence to Johnson’s Bayou. If you’re keeping score, that means the entire state is under a flood watch, and most of the state is under that watch until Thursday afternoon. Northern parts of Louisiana should get more of a reprieve on Wednesday, so roughly north of a Hornbeck to Ferriday line, that watch expires Wednesday morning.
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More than 15,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture employees have taken one of the Trump administration’s two financial incentive offers to leave the agency, according to a readout from a USDA briefing with congressional staff seen by Reuters.
The sum represents about 15% of the USDA’s total workforce.
President Donald Trump’s administration has offered federal employees several months of pay and benefits if they opt to leave their jobs as part of his effort with billionaire ally Elon Musk to shrink the federal workforce.
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The stakes are high with the latest trade war. While the risks of losing more market share into China are a concern, the upside potential of a trade deal with China could be monumental.
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The University of Louisiana Monroe hosted semifinalist interviews on April 30 as part of the ongoing search for its next president. The three candidates—Dr. Jonathan Ambrose, Mr. Chris Broadwater, and Dr. Carrie Castille participated in public interviews held at Bayou Pointe, where faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members had the opportunity to engage and hear directly from each candidate.
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced the latest slate of presidential appointments for key Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD) State Director roles.
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In late 2024 and into early 2025, headlines were everywhere— discussing the potential dangers of H5N1, otherwise known as avian influenza, or more simply, the bird flu. Hundreds of millions of birds, including millions of egg-laying hens, needed to be culled, resulting in a massive egg shortage that caused the price of a dozen eggs to skyrocket. One variant was later found in dairy cows, leading the U.S. government to implement a national milk testing strategy. Several humans (mostly dairy or farm workers) were also infected, including a Louisiana farmer who died after contracting it from his backyard flock.
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