Comeaux High Teacher, Award Finalist, Says She Puts ‘Heart and Soul’ Into Students and School
In Emily Benoit’s agriculture class at Comeaux High School, she works with students to see how real life is processed, made and grown.
It’s not a concept students are totally unfamiliar with, Benoit said, but they don’t always understand the full picture. She takes pride in seeing students’ understanding grow.
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Report Says EPA Will Approve The Use Of Dicamba This Year
EPA plans to re-register the controversial herbicide dicamba, according to a report in The Washington Post that cites a draft statement seen by the newspaper. The EPA document calls the pending decision "the most protective dicamba registration in agency history," according to the report.
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Contraction Continues In The Cattle Industry
An ag economist says there’s still no signs of expansion in the cattle herd. Josh Maples with Mississippi State University Extension says 2025 was another year of contraction.
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NCBA Releases 2026 Policy Priorities At CattleCon
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today announced its 2026 policy priorities following approval by the organization’s Executive Committee at CattleCon 2026. NCBA’s focus centers on policies that directly impact producer profitability, including reducing regulatory costs, defending free markets, expanding trade opportunities, and maintaining strong beef demand.
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Temporary Burn Ban Declared in Avoyelles Parish
A resolution declaring a temporary burn ban in Avoyelles Parish due to extreme fire danger.
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EPA Advances Farmers’ Right to Repair Their Own Equipment, Saving Repair Costs and Productivity
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advanced American farmers and equipment owners’ lawful right to repair their farm and other nonroad diesel equipment. EPA’s guidance to manufacturers clarifies that the Clean Air Act (CAA) supports, rather than restricts, Americans’ ability to make repairs on their own, and makes clear manufacturers can no longer use the CAA to justify limiting access to repair tools or software. For America’s farmers, timely and affordable repairs are essential to planting, harvesting, and keeping operations running.
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USDA Announces February 2026 Lending Rates For Agricultural Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for February 2026, which are effective Feb. 1, 2026. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures, or meet cash flow needs.
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Federal Agencies Temporarily Increase Number of H-2B Visas; Rep. Letlow Says This Helps Crawfish Farmers
The federal government has temporarily increased the number of H-2B non-immigrant visas that will be awarded in 2026, a provision that Rep. Julia Letlow says will benefit Louisiana crawfish farmers.
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USDA Ramps Up Border Defense Against New World Screwworm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is shifting its 100 million per week sterile fly dispersal efforts to stop the northern spread of New World screwworm.
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Freezing Temperatures Take Toll on South Louisiana Crops
South Louisiana may not have gotten the ice and snow seen further north, but parts were blanketed in white.
In Tangipahoa Parish, strawberry grower Joey Liuzza has been working to protect his crop while continuing to harvest. White fields dotted with frost cover aren’t snowdrifts—they’re protective row covers used to shield strawberry plants from freezing temperatures.
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Farmer Financials: From a Yellow Light to a Check Engine Warning
In 2025, the average size of loans for farmer operating expenses reached a record high (30% higher than last year) and pushed up lending volumes, according to the National Survey of Terms of Lending to Farmers. As noted by Federal Reserve of Kansas City Economist, Ty Kreitman, demand for farm loans has risen with tighter working capital, elevated production costs and higher cattle prices.
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The Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish Has Invaded European Rivers, Transmits a Deadly Fungus, Eliminates Native Crustaceans, and Transforms Freshwater Ecosystems in Just a Few Years
The red swamp crayfish of Louisiana doesn't seem threatening at first glance. It measures on average between 5 and 12 centimeters, lives at the bottom of rivers, lagoons and canals, and resembles a common crustacean. But this North American species has become one of the... the most destructive aquatic invasive species on the planet, capable of reshaping entire ecosystems in just a few years, wiping out native populations, and spreading a virtually lethal disease to other crustaceans.
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U.S. Cattle Herd Dwindles to 75-Year Low, USDA Says
The U.S. cattle herd dwindled to its smallest size since 1951, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday, signaling that beef prices will stay high for consumers after setting records last year.
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House Ag Chair Aiming for Late February Farm Bill 2.0
House Agriculture Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson has tentatively scheduled a farm bill markup for the week of Feb. 23, according to three people familiar with the plans.
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Brodeo 2026: A World of Fun for Some Very Special Children
When people think of angels they usually think of their way of transportation, as in wings, but at BRODEO the angels arrive on school buses and some in wheelchairs. The fourth annual BRODEO was held Wednesday at the Burton Coliseum thanks to Jimmy and JoAnn Meaux.
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