The Farmer's Forecast: Tropical Moisture Moving In

The tropical disturbance near the northern Gulf Coast continues to churn toward the west. The oddity of this system is that most of the heavy rain is confined to the west side due to its weak organization, and easterly wind shear. This disturbance should move inland over southeast Louisiana on Thursday and spread scattered heavy rain across parts of the state from Thursday through Saturday. 

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Perfect Weather For Rice Diseases

Perhaps the most ‘normal’ weather for farmers is the lack of any sort of ‘normal’ weather at all. Every year brings unique challenges and for rice farmers throughout the midsouth wet conditions are pulling pathogens to the forefront of management decisions. 

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Ricedon molino
LSU’s ‘Plant Doctor’ Works Around the Clock to Heal Louisiana Farms

Raj Singh administers a genetic test to a diseased patient, hoping to confirm the cause of death. He starts by carefully getting the sample before exposing it to the test strip, letting it lay under the bright white lights of his exam room while he waits for the result. 

It’s inevitably positive. His patient has a pathogen that’s sweeping through a rural South Louisiana community. Having confirmed his diagnosis, Singh stuffs his patient into a black trash bag and into a storage bin. 

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Rollins Applauds Doubling Of Export Promotion Funding

The U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC), that represents and promotes the export promotion interests of growers and processors of U.S. agricultural products, welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to their annual meeting last week where she expressed her appreciation and support for “the greatest of all American industries:  American agriculture.”

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Rice, USDAdon molino
Drax Foundation Connects Louisiana Youth to Agriculture Opportunities

Renewable energy company Drax has announced that three U.S. non-profits will receive $249,990 as part of the Drax Foundation’s latest round of donations. The non-profits receiving the donations are the Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism and Sustainability, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s Project Learning Tree, and Southern University’s Bayou Summer Program.

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Allie Shipley
USDA/FSA Director Outlines Supplemental Disaster Relief Program

Natural disasters take a toll on agricultural production and producers in the southeast often deal with them each year. With the US Department of Agriculture’s announcement last week of expediting the implementation of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, USDA Farm Service Agency (USDA/FSA) Administrator Bill Beam outlines the details of the program.

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Allie Shipley