When Kelly Cahill isn't bartending, she tends to around 300 birds on her poultry farm — not in rural Louisiana, but just a short drive from the French Quarter.
The only poultry farmer with her own processing shop in New Orleans, Cahill runs a one-woman show in Lower Coast Algiers, raising, slaughtering and selling the pasture-raised chickens and ducks to farmers markets and restaurants around the city.
Read MoreThe federal government’s continued shutdown is no longer just a Washington standoff — it’s becoming a real-world problem for farmers and ranchers. As the days drag on without resolution, three Kansas State University economists warn that even with FSA offices back open, the absence of key USDA reports is rippling through every corner of the ag economy, from commodity markets to cattle prices and farm-level business planning.
Read MoreA Saint Amant family is changing the way Ascension Parish feeds its pets. Bayou Chien Raw Foods, founded by local resident Zak Stewart, is a homegrown pet food company dedicated to providing dogs and cats with fresh, natural meals made from real Louisiana meats — no fillers, grains, or chemicals.
Read MoreThirteen farm and ranch women leaders graduated from the fall session of Women’s Communications Boot Camp hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Read MoreAt Meet the Buyer and Greet the Grower, a regular event hosted by Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program, ranchers and fruit and vegetable growers were able to link their faces and handshakes to the products they sell.
Read MoreAt Gonsoulin Farms in Iberia Parish, it’s business as usual this harvest season. With about a quarter of their crop already processed, owner and operator Ricky Gonsoulin says things are looking strong so far.
Read MoreThe state experienced a slight reduction in drought coverage over the period of 22-28 October, largely due to rains during the past weekend (25-26 Oct).
Read MoreHalloween’s over, the trick-or-treaters are gone, and my porch looks like a pumpkin graveyard. Some are still cute and perky, some are slumping in slow motion, and a few look like they’ve been through a South Louisiana summer storm — which, honestly, they kind of have.
So now what? What do we do with all these pumpkins once the ghosts and goblins go home? Don’t toss them in the trash just yet. Around here, we can squeeze a little more life out of just about anything — pumpkins included.
Read MoreIt’s almost time to kick off AFBF’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey! Each year, AFBF reports on the average retail cost of a traditional meal for 10 people. Help from farmer and rancher members across the country makes this possible.
Read MoreWe've had a large range of rainfall totals over the last week, with some areas along the I-20 corridor seeing less than an inch, and some parts of central and south Louisiana seeing 4+ inches of rain. This has knocked the moderate drought from 31% of the state to 18% of the state, but it looks like organized rain is about to shut back off for a bit.
Read MoreEven with a little rain in the forecast, conditions across Acadiana remain dangerously dry.
St. Landry, Acadia, and Evangeline Parishes are all under active burn bans as drought conditions persist across the region. Fire officials say gusty winds and low humidity are creating the perfect setup for fires to spread quickly, even from something as small as a spark.
Read MoreAmerican farmers welcomed China's promise to buy some of their soybeans, but they cautioned this won't solve all their problems as they continue to deal with soaring prices for fertilizer, tractors, repair parts and seeds.
Read MoreThe 119th Louisiana State Fair begins today in Shreveport and will run all the way until November 16th. Russell Adams, the marketing manager of the Louisiana State Fair, says one of this year’s new additions includes a brand-new Ferris wheel.
Read MoreOffices that farmers count on for low-interest loans and disaster relief programs have reopened, even as the federal government shutdown drags on.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the reopening of 2,100 offices of the Farm Service Agency across the country at a crucial time for row crop farmers who are wrapping up the harvest, deciding whether to sell or store and planning for the next growing season.
Read MoreThe full magnitude of LCP 85-384’s impact can only be understood by first considering its development, which dates back to the late 1950s. A resurgence of the mosaic virus in the Louisiana industry after the release of susceptible variety NCo 310 led breeders to look to the wild species of sugarcane, S. spontaneum, for much-needed resistance.
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