In the heart of Cajun country, Allen Mclain farms about 3,000 acres of rice together with his wife, father, and two younger brothers. Much of their crop, all south of LA-14, is under threat. Saltwater from the Gulf is slowly, and some days quickly, making its way up through marshes, bayous, and over levees.
Read MoreA historic labor strike at one of the country’s largest beef processing plants is sending early warning signs throughout the U.S. cattle and beef industry. Both producers and consumers may feel the impact.
Read MoreAn explosive upturn in energy prices — with crude oil recently reaching $119 per barrel (from the mid- $50s a month ago) and a strong influx of speculative money into the commodity complex — is providing underlying support for numerous contracts. Among these are corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Read MoreState health officials have closed multiple oyster harvesting areas in coastal Louisiana as concerns grow over the impact of an oil spill near Port Fourchon.
Read MoreMayors from Minnesota to Louisiana traveled to Washington earlier this month with a bipartisan message that protecting the Mississippi River is not just an environmental issue, it is a matter of national security.
Read MoreAt last year’s National Farm Machinery Show in Kentucky, XAG’s E150 spray drone caught farmers’ eyes.
With its 154-pound payload capacity and 18.5-gallon liquid tank, the 2024 Chinese-made E150’s advanced radar system and rapidly charging battery represented cutting-edge ag spray drone technology. However, XAG’s presence at trade shows this year was clouded by regulatory uncertainty.
Read MoreLouisiana is known for its culture, and that includes sports, food, the outdoors, and so much more. Knowing that, one of the recent trends at wedding receptions has been to have a themed cake for the Groom on his big night, and one local bakery seems to have perfected some of the desired Louisiana themes.
Read MoreIs this real? In two of the past three weeks, cotton commitments have established record high marketing year weekly export sales. Additionally, the weekly On-Call report first favored stable prices, and now, three weeks later, reflects a definite, albeit modest increase in prices.
Read MoreBrazil is projected to produce a record 6.5 billion bushels of soybeans in the 2025-2026 crop season. However, despite the big crop, farm margins are predicted to decline to their lowest level in nearly two decades.
Read MoreA group of Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation and advocate for issues affecting agriculture in the state.
Read MoreThe National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is aware of online rumors that allege a new or unknown animal disease is circulating in a feedlot in the Texas Panhandle. These claims are false. Animal health officials from USDA, state officials in Texas, along with leaders at Texas Cattle Feeders Association, have confirmed there is no such disease present.
Read MoreThe push continues to add more data centers across rural America, and farm organizations are concerned. The topic came up during the recent National Farmers Union annual convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darrin Von Ruden talked about the debate over data centers advancing into rural America.
Read MoreLast fall, Don Benoit had been making plans to hire 80 seasonal migrant laborers to work at his crawfish processing plant during the upcoming spring season, and he was applying for guest-worker visas just like he had for the last eight years. But the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history would soon throw his plans — and his business — into disarray.
Read MoreWith deportation raids sending a chill across farm country, the Trump administration wants to make it easier for U.S. farms to hire migrant workers, angering critics across the political spectrum.
On January 1, new emergency rules took effect, allowing U.S. farms to hire more workers and pay less in wages for migrants coming in on H-2A temporary labor visas.
Read MoreStrong winds are raising concerns that an oil leak about 20 miles from Port Fourchon could spread and impact the commercial seafood industry, according to oyster farmers in Terrebonne Parish.
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