Market Update for Corn, Soybeans, Rice, and Cotton: July 2025
This month’s 2025/26 U.S. corn outlook calls for smaller supplies, domestic use, and ending stocks. USDA cut corn beginning stocks by 25 million bushels to 1.3 billion, reflecting an increase in exports that is partly offset by lower feed and residual use for 2024/25. Feed and residual use is down 75 million based on indicated disappearance in the June 30th Grain Stocks report. Exports are raised 100 million bushels to 2.8 billion based on current outstanding sales and shipments to date and, if realized, would be record high.
Read More
Restoring Soil Health: A Farm Family’s Regenerative Ag Journey
“Earthworms make me happy,” Ryan Britt says as he turns over a handful of dark soil. “You see that?” He points to an earthworm before returning it safely to a field of cover crops. “It didn’t look like this 20 years ago.” Twenty years ago, Ryan and his dad set out to restore the health of the soil on their family farm with regenerative agriculture practices. It’s a journey that continues today.
Read More
WASDE: Ample Supplies Keep Crop Prices Low
USDA’s just-released July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report incorporates updated planted and harvested acreage figures from the June 30 Acreage report. This Market Intel analyzes both the June Acreage and July WASDE reports and explains what the updates mean for U.S. agriculture.
Read More
Farm Land Makes Up One Third of the State. How Big are Louisiana Farms?
According to the 2022 United States Census of Agriculture, there were 1.9 million farms and ranches (down 7% from 2017) with an average size of 463 acres. In total, 880 million acres were farmed in the United States in 2022 — approximately 39% of the nation's total land area.
In Louisiana, just under 8 million acres were farmed in 2022 making up 28.8% of the state's total land area.
Read More
Showcase Your State's Agriculture at The Great American Farmers Market
As we prepare for The Great American Farmers Market 2025, we have representation from nearly all states, but we are still missing representation from Louisiana- and we want to change that.
This 6-day event, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is a powerful opportunity to spotlight the farmers, ranchers, producers and products that help define your state’s agricultural industry.
Read More
Experts Say To Expect A Rise In Aggressive Alligators During Egg-Hatching Season
At this time of year, you may see alligators out of the water more than usual, but experts warn that there may be a reason for it.
June, July and August aren’t just the hottest months in Louisiana, they are also prime time for alligator egg hatching.
Read More
A Look at Louisiana’s Timber Industry 2 Years After Wildfires
It was a once-in-a-lifetime event for many across Central Louisiana and beyond as wildfires and drought destroyed over 60,000 acres of trees, drying up land in the summer and fall months of 2023 and costing the state $71 million in timber loss.
Dr. Mike Strain, the commissioner of Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry, shared, “We have about 18.6 million acres total of timber. That’s 15 million acres of farm timber as well. It’s about 3.6 million acres of bottomlands and hardwoods. So, if you look at 85% of Louisiana, it is in timber or row crop type agriculture or aquaculture.”
Read More
The Farmer's Forecast: Marginal Risk of Tropical Development, Rain Likely Starting Thursday
The National Hurricane Center has added an area of tropical concern for the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida. Models sniffed this potential out a week or so ago, and while I think we have a good idea on the general idea of what will happen, the details remain elusive since we are still several days away from the moisture increasing across Louisiana.
Read More
Hat Trick: New LSU AgCenter Hire Tackles Three Roles
In the sports world, a hat trick refers to one player scoring three goals in a single game. LSU AgCenter researcher Christine Coker has big goals in mind as she wears three hats, one being Louisiana’s new state vegetable specialist.
Read More
Sign Up For The Supplemental Disaster Relief Program Is Active
On Wednesday, USA Rice staff joined the newly sworn-in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden for a stakeholder meeting as the Administration rolled out the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP). The briefing coincided with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins' formal announcement that sign-ups for SDRP have commenced.
Read More
Supplemental Disaster Relief Program Webinar For Crop Insurance Professionals
USDA’s Risk Management Agency invites all crop insurance agents to join a webinar on July 16 to learn about the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP), announced this week by USDA’s Farm Service Agency. This webinar will be offered in two sessions. The same content will be covered in each session.
Read More
Letlow Announces Key Economic Development Designation for Ouachita River
Congresswoman Julia Letlow announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has designated the Ouachita River as a U.S. Marine Highway, further unlocking the 605-mile river’s potential to spur economic development in North Louisiana.
Letlow called for the designation in a March letter to DOT Secretary Sean Duffy, touting the river’s capability to facilitate commerce, reduce highway congestion, and move freight. The designation enables local agencies, industries, and shippers to become eligible for federal infrastructure grants.
Read More
The Growing Role of H-2A Workers in U.S. Agriculture
The H-2A program allows eligible employers in the U.S. an avenue to request and hire foreign workers to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Applicants must be certified and demonstrate a lack of willing, qualified, and available U.S. workers to fill the temporary roles and that the wages and working conditions available to similarly employed U.S. workers will not be adversely affected.
Application numbers tend to be the largest in states like Texas, Louisiana, and North Dakota but requests are for smaller numbers of workers per application compared with the leading authorized worker areas.
Read More
Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center Welcomes Mandela Washington Fellows
The Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SUAREC) was honored to host 25 exceptional Mandela Washington Fellows — a prestigious cohort of young African leaders recognized for their innovation, entrepreneurship, and dedication to advancing agriculture across the continent.
Chosen from a pool of over 50,000 applicants, the 700 fellows selected for this year’s Mandela Washington Fellowship represent the brightest minds from across Africa. SUAREC, in partnership with Dr. Sarah Becker of Louisiana State University (LSU), proudly welcomed a select group of 25 agricultural changemakers to its campus for an intimate tour and engagement session highlighting the Center’s impactful research, outreach, and community-based agricultural initiatives.
Read More
Message From Bayou Bend: No Risk of Closure
St. Mary Parish Councilwoman Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink relayed a message from Bayou Bend Health System to the council Wednesday: The Franklin hospital is in no danger of closure from Medicaid cuts.
Rink spoke at a Parish Council meeting and said she was repeating a message from Bayou Bend CEO Stephanie Guidry.
The message was that “there is no immediate risk of Bayou Bend closing,” Rink said.
Read More
