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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LSU Adds New Coastal Meteorology Degree Program
LSU is adding a new coastal meteorology degree program under the College of the Coast and Environment, the university announced Monday.
The program will start accepting enrollees in the fall. It will be within the department of oceanography and coastal sciences.
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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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Louisiana Faces 46 Percent Hurricane Probability This Season As Forecasters Warn Of Above-Average Activity
The 2025 Hurricane Season officially began this week, and Louisiana residents need to take hurricane preparation seriously this year. New probability mapping shows our state's coast faces a 46 percent chance of hurricane impact in 2025—nearly one-in-two odds that should get every family's attention.
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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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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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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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Failure to Extend Tax Cuts Could Cost Farmers Billions
If Congress fails to extend current tax provisions, America’s farmers and ranchers will be forced to pay $9 billion more in federal taxes every year. Tax relief enacted by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is set to expire at the end of this year, which would lead to tax increases for almost two-thirds of families, including those in rural America. In the latest Market Intel, American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the impact of reverting to the previous tax code.
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Amite Solar Energy Center Marks Milestone for NextEra Energy Resources in Louisiana
DEMCO and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, are proud to announce that Amite Solar, LLC, is now operational. This milestone marks the launch of NextEra Energy Resources' first utility-scale energy facility in Louisiana, delivering reliable, American-made energy to local communities. The Amite Solar Energy Center is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, one of the country's largest energy infrastructure developers.
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Louisiana Turkey Hunters Harvest More Than 3,500 Wild Turkeys for the Second Straight Year
Louisiana turkey hunters had another successful season in 2025, harvesting 3,576 birds, the second-highest total since harvest reporting began in 2009, just behind 2024’s 3,695. LDWF Small Game and Wild Turkey Program Manager Cody Cedotal says the past four years have seen the highest reported harvests.
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Jockey Arrested for Using Shocking Device on Racehorse
A Vinton racehorse jockey has been arrested for using a battery-operated shocking device on his horse.
Louisiana State Police Trooper Matt Gaspard said 41-year-old Ricardo Hernandez-Perez of Vinton was arrested Saturday after an investigation into allegations of cheating by horse jockeys at the Delta Downs Racetrack and Casino.
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USDA Announces June 2025 Lending Rates For Agricultural Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for June 2025, which are effective June 2, 2025. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.
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General And Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment For '24 Ends Friday
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced several Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment opportunities for agricultural producers and landowners. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for both the General and Continuous CRP beginning today through June 6, 2025.
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Louisiana Equine Promotion & Research Advisory Board Announces Grant Opportunities
The Louisiana Equine Promotion and Research Advisory Board will begin accepting grant applications for the purpose of supporting the growth and development of the Louisiana equine industry by enhancing research, education, promotion, facilities, tourism, events, and equine-related activities throughout the state for the 2025-2026 cycle on Sunday, June 1.
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