Two New Varieties, More on the Way: Field Day Highlights Advancements at LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station
With harvest season rapidly approaching, rice farmers took a break from their own fields and converged on those at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station June 24 to hear from experts about the latest industry trends and to get updates on research aimed at helping them grow a better crop.
Although farmers are facing depressed commodity prices and are keeping their fingers crossed that recent rains won’t dampen their upcoming harvests, there was still plenty of good news to go around at the field day, which has been held annually at the station near Crowley for 116 years.
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LSU Ecologist on a Mission to Protect the Pollinators—and Louisiana’s Food Supply
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one plant to another, often by insects, helping plants to flower and reproduce. Pollen is also a protein-rich food source for many insects, aiding in their development and growth. As pollinators land on a plant to feed, they accumulate pollen, especially on the hairs on the thorax and abdomen, the head and face, the legs (including pollen baskets in bees), and the underside of their body, which transfers to other plants when they land on them. This cycle of pollination is essential for much of the world’s food crop production.
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LSU AgCenter Unveils New Rice Variety “Venus” at Annual Field Day
The LSU AgCenter hosted its annual Rice Field Day this week at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station offering farmers and students an inside look at the latest innovations in rice breeding, disease management, and production techniques. Among the highlights was the unveiling of Venus, a new medium-grain variety set for commercial release next year.
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Louisiana Holds Statewide Animal Response Exercise Ahead of Hurricane Season
With hurricane season underway, Louisiana officials held a statewide tabletop exercise Tuesday to strengthen plans for protecting animals during emergencies. The daylong event at the Opelousas Civic Center marked 20 years of organized animal disaster response efforts since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Led by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, the 2025 Louisiana State Animal Response Tabletop Exercise aimed to improve coordination among local, state and national partners involved in animal care during disasters.
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Cost Of Summer Cookout Nearly Unchanged From 2024
Families celebrating the Fourth of July holiday continue to find high prices at the grocery store, based on the 2025 American Farm Bureau Federation annual marketbasket survey. An Independence Day cookout will cost $70.92 for 10 guests this year.
This is down only 30 cents from last year’s record-high cost. At $7.09 per person, 2025 will be the second-highest cost since Farm Bureau began the survey in 2013.
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Seven Stories on How the One Big Beautiful Bill Protects Family Farmers and Ranchers
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released a series of grassroots videos featuring hardworking family farmers and ranchers who need Congress to deliver lasting tax relief by passing the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“Across the nation, farming and ranching families are thinking about how their cattle operation stays in business for future generations. Legislation that reduces the Death Tax, cuts taxes across the board, and helps farmers and ranchers keep more of their hard-earned money is how we keep America’s agricultural legacy going strong for future generations,” said NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “Cattle producers’ message to Congress is simple: pass the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’”
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Cattle Industry Support Letter For One Big Beautiful Bill
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and its state affiliates sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo urging passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
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Louisiana Congresswoman Julia Letlow Files Legislation to Assist American Agricultural Producers Affected by Global Trade Market
Louisiana Congresswoman Julia Letlow has filed legislation that would help agricultural producers impacted by disruptions to the global trade market. Letlow says the bill would create a dedicated fund that would allow the Trump Administration to respond swiftly to trade-related losses.
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New Officers Elected, Contest Winners Chosen at 4-H University
While it wasn’t called 4-H University until recently, the event just completed its 111th rendition on the LSU main campus. This year’s theme was “Leading the New Frontier.” And for some, being in Baton Rouge and staying on the campus for a week was exactly that — a new frontier.
More than 1,500 students, volunteers and 4-H agents participated in this year's event, which took place June 17 to 19.
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USDA Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin: June 15-21, 2025
A ridge of high pressure expanding eastward from the western U.S. delivered increasingly hot weather to parts of the Plains and Midwest, while gradually cutting off a previously wet pattern east of the Rockies. Still, before the transition occurred, weekly rainfall totaled at least 1 to 3 inches across parts of the central and eastern U.S., generally benefiting summer crops.
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The Farmer's Forecast: It's Convention Time!
It’s Convention week! You know what that means. It’s going to be hot and humid with a chance of storms each day. I think I could recycle that sentence and use it for the next few months. The good news is, I don’t see a chance for tropical development in the next 10 days. In fact, The Climate Prediction Center shows below normal precipitation across the Caribbean over the first half of July. That’s one of the areas we look at for development, and I think we are all just fine with it looking quiet over the next few weeks.
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McMullen: North Louisiana’s Lost Apple
Several Southern apple varieties have origins in Louisiana. Apples such as Bossier Greening, Felt’s Strawberry, Louisiana, McMullen, Pride of the South, Terral and Woodland are all extinct, according to C. Lee Calhoun in his magnificent book, “Old Southern Apples.” If even one stands a chance of being rediscovered, it is the McMullen apple. It left a blazed trail for us to follow.
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Two DeRidder Cowgirls Saddle Up For National Rodeo Competitions
Back in April, KALB introduced you to three young cowgirls from DeRidder who are redefining the face of rodeo in Louisiana. Now, those same girls are taking their talents with breakaway roping to the national stage.
Before they saddled up and hit the highway, we caught up with two of them, Macie McBride and Ava Williams, who have been competing in the DeRidder rodeo scene since they were five years old. Their bond was built racing one barrel at a time, and now, their childhood dream is galloping into reality.
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Back Home in Louisiana - The Vital Role of Corn
Johnny Atkinson takes a look at the vital role that corn plays in the Pelican State, as well as the local Louisiana Corn Festival here in Cenla.
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"Heart Of Louisiana" Red River Farm
The sun is barely above the treetops on this Red River Parish farm, and workers have been in the field since daybreak, finding vegetables that are ready for the market. It’s a race against the clock each morning for Ed Lester, who helps fill the bins and bushel baskets of his roadside farmers’ market with more than 50 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Lester is the fourth generation to run this family farm.
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