Statement from EPA, DEQ, and LDH Regarding Environmental Safety Following Smitty’s Supply Facility Fire
In coordination with local, state, and federal officials, environmental sampling and analysis have been conducted following the fire at the Smitty’s Supply Facility. Based on the data currently available, there is no indication of any imminent threat to public health from the soot or smoke residue deposited in the surrounding area.
Out of an abundance of caution, residents are advised to take general hygiene precautions, including washing any outside surfaces that may have been impacted by soot or smoke and practicing good handwashing after contact with outdoor surfaces.
Read More
SU Ag Center to Host its 20th Annual Business Development & Procurement Conference
The Southern University Ag Center will host its 20th Annual Business Development and Procurement Conference October 27-29, 2025. The conference, themed “A Legacy of Leadership: 20 Years of Innovation and Impact,” will be held on the Southern University campus in Baton Rouge, La.
Whether your business is just a dream waiting to be launched or an established enterprise ready to scale, the 20th Annual Business Development and Procurement Conference is the place to be.
Read More
The Farmer's Forecast: Quiet Tropics, Labor Day Rain
I hope the weather has been treating you well! It looks like we've had enough rain to escape any sort of major droughts in the state, though this recent string of dry days probably has some of you wanting some rain. It looks like we will get plenty in the Friday to Sunday timeframe. Yes that's right, right on the long, Labor Day weekend.
Read More
Louisiana Students Invited to Celebrate Agriculture in Annual Farm to School Art Contest
In honor of National Farm to School Month this October, Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program and the LSU AgCenter are inviting K through 12 students across Louisiana to showcase their creativity in the 2025 Louisiana Farm to School Art Contest. Students are encouraged to explore Louisiana agriculture and create artwork featuring foods grown in the state, including fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and seafood.
Read More
Jeff's Political Corner: A Visit from Congresswoman Julie Letlow
Political news on Monday included a visit to the KTBS-TV studios from Louisiana 5th District Congresswoman Julia Letlow.
Letlow was here to appear on an episode of the KTBS political podcast “The App-Arklatex People and Politics.” She discussed a variety of topics, including agriculture, which comprises a big part of her district.
Read More
This New Iberia Urban Garden Lets You Work for Veggies, or Even Camp Out in a Green Oasis
New Iberia's West End neighborhood is one of the city's most impoverished communities. Demarked by South Hopkins Street west of downtown, the West End is where Phanat Xanamane's family first landed when they came to New Iberia from Laos in 1981, as part of a wave of post-Vietnam War resettlement to New Orleans and rural areas of southwest Louisiana.
Read More
Louisiana Sea Grant Fisheries & Seafood Leadership Program
Applications are now being accepted for the Louisiana Sea Grant Fisheries and Seafood Leadership Program.
The program launched in 2023 to help enhance leadership in the Louisiana Commercial Fishing and Seafood Industry.
The Louisiana Sea Grant Fisheries & Seafood Leadership Program (FSLP) is a one-year program divided into four, two-day workshops for networking and skill-building. It includes seminars with experts, on-site tours, personal skills improvement, and meetings with business and government leaders in Louisiana.
Read More
HHS and USDA Confirm Singular Traveler-Associated New World Screwworm Case; Precautionary and Proactive Surveillance Ongoing
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently identified an instance of a traveler-associated human case of New World screwworm (NWS) in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reaffirmed its robust surveillance and trapping strategy, confirming there have been no detections of NWS in U.S. livestock.
Read More
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser Continues Call to Impose an Inspection Fee on Imported Seafood
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is renewing his call for President Trump and Louisiana’s Congressional delegation to impose a 10-cent-per-pound seafood inspection fee.
“That would allow them to hire thousands of inspectors to inspect more imported seafood. We inspect less than 5% of the imported seafood,” Nungesser explained.
Read More
Faith is Strong in Farmers
Not all farmers are Protestants or Catholics or Buddhists or Mormons – but all farmers excel at believing.
It’s hard written into the DNA of all those dependent on the land for living – that a tiny seed will miraculously produce its intended fruit, despite the human eye’s inability to see nature’s forces at work.
Read More
Livestock Welfare, Autism Awareness Advocate Addresses 4-H Leaders On Thinking Differently
It isn’t every day that a former Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People of the Year and the subject of an Emmy-winning HBO movie speaks at an LSU AgCenter event. But that is exactly what happened when internationally renowned author, livestock welfare and autism awareness advocate Temple Grandin addressed the Louisiana Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals last week in Vernon Parish.
Read More
Farmers Fear Lasting Damage After Roseland Explosion
A Tangipahoa Parish couple says their farm is struggling to recover after oily fallout from last week’s explosion at Smitty’s Supply in Roseland.
Lisa and Robert Friedley live about three miles from the oil company on a 71-acre farm. They raise cattle, sell hay and stock ponds with fish. They say all of it is now at risk.
Read More
The Year That Stunned Louisiana: An Oral History Of The LSU AgCenter Response To Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
When Hurricane Katrina hit the coast on Aug. 29 and Hurricane Rita followed on Sept. 24, much of south Louisiana sustained tremendous damage. The storms caused more than 1,100 deaths, according to the Louisiana Department of Health; displaced several communities; and led to $108 billion in damage, according to the National Weather Service.
Read More
Louisiana Crop Condition as of August 24
According to the latest information from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, 99 percent of the Louisiana soybean crop was setting pods as of last Sunday, compared to 97 percent this same time last week. Leaves were dropping on 58 percent of the beans. The crop reported at one percent poor, seven percent fair, 82 percent good and 10 percent excellent.
Read More
UL Lafayette Researchers Studying Invasive Fish Species’ Viability as Crawfish Bait
University of Louisiana at Lafayette biologists and undergraduate and graduate students are examining the effectiveness of invasive carp as crawfish bait, research that’s being funded by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Read More
