The U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran have disrupted fertilizer supplies, and farmers worldwide are rushing to secure critical nutrients ahead of the spring growing season. “We grabbed what we needed,” South Dakota farmer Chet Edinger told Bloomberg, referring to urea, which he said cost 22% more than it did in late 2025. It was “the highest price I ever had to pay."
Read MoreLouisiana Farm Bureau urges Congress to pass the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 as it advanced out of the House Committee on Agriculture on March 5, 2026. Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation President Richard Fontenot sent a letter to the state’s congressional delegation, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, outlining the urgent need for updated policy.
Read MoreU.S. farmers are bracing for a system shock resulting from the disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the impact on fertilizer availability and prices. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall today urged President Trump to intervene in a letter that lays out several recommendations.
Read MoreIn Europe, triticale — a hybrid of wheat and rye — is prized as a high-yielding, resilient crop that can be used for livestock feed and bioenergy production. Although less common in the U.S., triticale has been embraced by some as a winter cover crop, and LSU AgCenter breeders are hoping to soon release a variety that is ideal for Louisiana farmers.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) today announced a construction contract with Mortenson Construction to build a new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas. This facility is a key component in Secretary Rollins’ sweeping 5-prong strategy (PDF, 1005 KB) to fight New World Screwworm (NWS), as it will expand USDA’s domestic response capacity, bolstering protection for U.S. livestock, wildlife, and public health.
Read MoreLouisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says that only a quarter of crawfish processors have been able to bring in the guest workers that they rely on.
Read MoreLainey Wilson hasn't forgotten her roots.
Wilson, 33, reflected on growing up in her tiny farm town of Baskin, Louisiana — home to roughly 170 people — and the misconception "city people" tend to have about blue-collar towns.
Read MoreLouisiana wheat producers face a conundrum: hope for the rain desperately needed to revive a growing crop or wish it would stay dry and stall a prolific, early-arrived fungal infection. Leaf rust arrived early this year, challenging the wheat crop after a fairly successful winter season.
Read MoreStudents with hands-on experience raising livestock, poultry, or equine will have an opportunity to earn financial support for college through the Purina Animal Nutrition Scholarship starting March 18, a program established by Land O’Lakes, Inc. to support the next generation of agricultural leaders.
The scholarship program awards up to 10 students each year with $3,000 scholarships to help cover undergraduate education expenses at accredited two-year or four-year colleges, universities, or vocational-technical schools in the United States.
Read MoreWhen Congress introduces legislation to prevent funding disruptions at public institutions, it signals that stability may no longer be assumed.
That reality frames ongoing conversations surrounding federal oversight of funding tied to 1890 land-grant universities. While the broader land-grant system is often described as one of American agriculture’s greatest structural achievements, its history has not unfolded evenly across institutions. The 1890 universities, established under the Second Morrill Act to serve Black students in segregated states, were created not as expansions of privilege, but as remedies to exclusion.
Read MoreAfter layoffs and budget cuts, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is weighing selling off some of its property to extinguish what remains of a $50 million budget shortfall.
Read MoreAlong Louisiana’s coast, the menhaden industry has quietly powered local economies for generations – providing industrial jobs, rebuilding communities after disasters, and allowing families to stay rooted in rural coastal parishes. The small, silvery fish harvested in the Gulf are processed into high-protein fish meal and nutrient-rich oil used in aquaculture, pet food, agriculture, and other essential products. In Plaquemines Parish, that work supports families, schools, and small businesses.
Read MoreThe chief ag negotiator with United States Trade Representative says the administration is working to ensure a fair and balanced relationship with China.
Read MoreCrawfish season has everyone getting their hands dirty, including advanced medical robots.
Dr. Justin Rudd, a General Surgeon at CHRISTUS Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital in Lake Charles, wanted to see whether their da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system (dV5) was as precise as they thought.
In true Louisiana fashion, he and his crew put it to the test by using it to peel a crawfish.
Read MoreLeading agricultural lenders and cooperatives in Arkansas are warning that low crop prices may push farmers to plant roughly thirty percent less rice this year, and that could do permanent damage to the state's rice industry.
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