Crawfish processors across Louisiana say a shortage of temporary work visas has left them without the migrant labor they depend on, forcing plants to sit idle during the busiest part of the season, and threatening a key part of Louisiana’s $640 million crawfish industry.
Read MoreThe trade and immigration policies of the Trump administration have rippled through the nation’s economy in myriad ways, and Louisiana has not been immune to their effects. In recent months, we’ve catalogued the ways tariffs have affected our ports, our retailers and even our coffee shops.
Read MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated eight north Louisiana parishes as Natural Disaster Areas following the severe winter storm in January.
Read MoreThe commissioner of agriculture and forestry is sounding the alarm over the lack of crawfish peelers in the state. Mike Strain says this is because the Department of Homeland Security has stopped processing H-2B applications for skilled guest workers, preventing them from coming back.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the Trump administration is working to ease labor restrictions for Louisiana farmers, particularly those in the aquaculture industry, as planting season begins amid rising diesel prices and ongoing visa limitations.
Read MoreSen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, encouraged Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to permit Louisiana to use a pesticide required to combat rice delphacid infestations.
Read MoreThere are few mistakes that you can’t overcome, given enough time. But problems at planting time set the stage for an entire season’s worth of trouble.
Read MoreAfter a series of earthquakes in northwest Louisiana triggered by Thursday’s magnitude 4.9 in Red River Parish, the U.S. Geological Survey spent time this week installing new equipment to assist in detecting earthquakes. Among those on the team was Cynthia Ebinger with the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering, who says this is standard operating procedure.
Read MoreTwo crawfish farm workers could have to pay $15,000 after authorities said they shot and killed an endangered whooping crane.
Read MoreThe crawfish industry is facing a labor shortage due to federal immigration caps as the state enters the start of the harvesting season, Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain said in a House committee meeting on Tuesday.
Read MoreAfter careful consideration, we are excited to announce the Social Media Ambassadors, sponsored by Case IH, and the Farm Bureau Fellows, sponsored by CoBank, for the 2026 YF&R Leadership Conference. By the look of our applicant pool, the future of agriculture, food and natural resources is bright!
Read MoreDuring the week ending in early March 2026, Louisiana experienced very dry and unusually warm conditions. A February 27 cold front brought the only rainfall, with most areas receiving less than 0.20 inches and many locations reporting no rain. Temperatures stayed well above normal, reaching 85°F at Leesville and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. The March 5 update from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed worsening drought conditions across more than three-quarters of the state, with increased fire danger and multiple burn bans in place. Despite the heat and humidity occasionally producing dense morning fog in southern and central areas, the week saw no severe weather watches, warnings, or reports.
Read MoreAction has already begun today in NW Louisiana, where the NWS has issued a number of Tornado and Severe T-Storm Warnings this morning.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation made farming in our parish quite a bit safer with the donation of a Grain Bin Rescue Tube and Rescue Auger to the Natchitoches Fire Department, Wednesday, March 4 at the Parish Fairgrounds. Grain Bin Entrapment is an extremely dangerous situation in which a person working in a grain bin falls in. Moving grain will cause the person to rapidly sink. The grain is heavy and exerts pressure on the body. A person in grain over their knees will not be able to be lifted out. As the grain rises, so does the pressure.
Read MoreAll burn bans across Southwest Louisiana have been rescinded within the past two days as dry conditions moved out of the region, but officials say the restrictions could return.
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