National Rice Month In Louisiana Culminates With Food Bank Donation
This past weekend, the last in National Rice Month, included several events, some tried and true and one that revives an old tradition in a new rivalry.
In Crowley, at the 88th International Rice Festival (IRF) Rice and Gravy Cook Off, IRF Farmer of the Year Eric Unkel competed for the coveted prize of best rice and gravy dish against a host of teams, all while promoting the annual donation to Second Harvest Food Banks of southwest Louisiana. Crowley Mayor Chad Monceaux joined Unkel at the presentation made possible by Falcon Rice Mill, Farmers Rice Mill, Supreme Rice Mill, and the Louisiana Rice Growers Association (LARGA).
Read More
Louisiana Rice Production Handbook
Rice is one of the world’s most important cereal crops. Cereal crops are members of the grass family (Gramineae or Poaceae) grown for their edible starchy seeds. The term “cereal” is derived from the Greek goddess, Ceres or “giver of grain.” Rice and wheat are two of the most important cereal crops and together make up the majority of the world’s source of calories. They feed the world.
Read More
Don’t Miss Out — Register Now for the American Farm Bureau Convention
The American Farm Bureau Federation announced the opening of general registration today for the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention. The convention will be held Jan. 9-14, 2026, in Anaheim, California.
The theme of the 107th consecutive American Farm Bureau Convention is “Imagine. Grow. Lead.” It will empower attendees with forward-thinking perspectives and policy insights to navigate the future of agriculture.
Read More
An Inside Look at LSU’s New University House
To find inspiration for his interior design of LSU’s latest University House, Kenneth Brown had to put down his pencil and put on his sneakers.
“When I finally said yes to this project, I just walked the lakes,” says Brown, an LSU alumnus whose design portfolio includes high-profile jobs both in Hollywood and here in his Baton Rouge hometown.
The home’s social calendar is packed many months out. Recent events have included a 50-person seated dinner, a breakfast meeting, and a luncheon for an LSU Foundation Board of Directors member who received an honorary degree. For a dinner held in conjunction with Louisiana Farm Bureau, the menu included biscuits made with LSU-grown sweet potatoes and a sweet potato cheesecake for dessert.
Read More
Soybean Harvest Nearly Complete
Concordia Parish’s soybean harvest is nearing completion, according to Kylie Miller, LSU AgCenter extension agent.
“Right now, farmers are just trying to get the later beans in,” Miller said. “Here in the next week or so, we should be fully wrapping up.”
Read More
LDAF Forestry Enforcement And Fire Crews Participate In National Hunting And Fishing Day
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division and Fire Management teams proudly participated in National Hunting and Fishing Day festivities held this past weekend in Woodworth, Louisiana.
Read More
Delta Farmer Turns Interest in Drones into Thriving Business
When Kam Harper saw two smiling young farmers holding their first ag drone on a magazine cover, he didn’t solely see new technology; he also saw a business opportunity. Just three years later, Harper’s Macon Ridge Specialty Drone Service has sprayed more than 120,000 acres of Louisiana farmland.
At the time, Harper was making his way in the ag industry as a farm manager and immediately recognized the benefits an ag spray drone could have in the tree-lined fields of northeastern Louisiana.
Read More
FFAR Fellowship Empowers LSU Ph.D. Student to Bridge Science, Policy
Diana Amaya, a Ph.D. student in agricultural economics at LSU, is breaking new ground as the university’s first recipient of the prestigious FFAR Fellowship. The program from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research offers participants professional development and career guidance.
Amaya is part of a national cohort of 33 scholars selected for their potential to drive innovation in agriculture through interdisciplinary research and professional development.
Read More
US Corn Ending Stocks Down 13% from Last Year, Soybean Ending Stocks Down 8%
Old crop corn stocks on hand as of Sept. 1, 2025, totaled 1.53 billion bushels, down 13% from Sept. 1, 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Grain Stocks report released today. Old crop soybeans stored in all positions were down 8% from Sept. 1, 2024, and all wheat stocks were up 6% from a year earlier.
Read More
Researchers Race to Find Solutions to Rice Delphacid Invasion
The spread of rice delphacid, an invasive pest, is threatening rice production in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.
With no economically viable solutions to control it, Texas A&M AgriLife experts and Extension partners led by USA Rice have created a multistate task force to find some.
Read More
Cotton Prices Continue To Hang On
The good news — the cotton market continues to hold the 66-cent level, although it is struggling. On a trading basis, December futures slips below its life of contract low close, 66.04 cents, on a routine basis. Yet, to date, it has bounced back to just above that low closing level.
Read More
Deadline Approaching: USDA To Provide $1B To Flood & Wildfire Impacted Livestock Producers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced eligible livestock producers will receive disaster recovery assistance through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire (ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW) to help offset increased supplemental feed costs due to a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The program is expected to provide approximately $1 billion in recovery benefits. Sign-up begins on Monday, September 15. Livestock producers have until October 31, 2025, to apply for assistance.
Read More
September 28 Louisiana Crop Report
According to USDA, as of last Sunday, 96 percent of the Louisiana soybean crop was coloring, 93 percent dropping leaves, 88 percent mature and 78 percent has now been harvested. The bean crop is reported at two percent excellent, 20 percent fair and 78 percent good.
Read More
From the Desk of Craig McCain
Hey there, it’s me again! It is hard to believe that we are past Labor Day and rolling headfirst into Fall. Speaking of Fall, we were blessed with some nice weather during
Well, it seems that Fall has arrived again! While we had a few days of unseasonably cooler weather during late August, summer came back for what we hope is one last round.
Read More
Louisiana Woman Shares Her Tips on Cooking the Perfect Pot of Gumbo
Gumbo, what some Louisianians would call a staple dish to serve during the cold months, is a blend of vegetables, meats, and roux.
Stacy Spedale, a Louisiana native who grew up in Milton, first learned how to cook gumbo from her husband in 2008.
Since then, she’s learned her way around a gumbo pot, including making the most important ingredient, the roux.
Read More
