South Louisiana’s spring is starting off bone dry. The latest drought map shows extreme conditions tightening their grip on Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, leaving farmers, marsh managers and coastal communities staring down a serious water shortage just as planting season and the seafood hustle kick into gear.
Read MoreUSDA’s Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary Dr. Scott Hutchins today announced the launch of the USDA National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech (NPG-Ag), a nationwide initiative designed to rigorously evaluate agricultural technologies under real-world U.S. farming and ranching conditions.
Read MoreOyster farmers in Terrebonne Parish are questioning the state's decision to reopen bays following a February oil spill, saying oil remains visible in their harvest areas.
Read MoreRice delphacid struck hard and fast in 2025 amid an already challenging season. The tiny leafhoppers struck midseason, and farmers had no strategy for control, with delphacid being one of the few insects a pyrethroid application incites rather than ignites.
Read MoreIt’s a new day in Melville as the St. Landry Parish community is overhauling its 60-year-old water system. The city’s outgoing water system was built on deteriorating pipes and a single overworked well, and Mayor Caretta Robertson says it was costing the town lots of money to keep it suitable for consumption.
Read MoreUSA Rice extends condolences to the family and friends of Catherine Soileau Sylvester who passed away on April 5, at the age of 65.
Read MoreUSDA’s latest crop progress report – out Monday afternoon and covering the week through April 5 – marks the first of these reports for the 2026 season. Traders will increasingly have more data points to fold into their decision-making process in the coming weeks.
Read MoreThe crawfish industry that Louisiana depends on today didn’t just grow organically—it was built, in large part, through decades of LSU research. Now, as new challenges emerge—from extreme weather to evolving biological threats—that same institution is helping shape what comes next.
Read MoreA pollinator training day geared toward professionals will be held on Saturday, April 25, on LSU’s main campus in Baton Rouge.
Read MoreLast Friday at the White House, President Trump and I stood shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of farmers to celebrate the greatness of American agriculture. Every day, patriots across rural America pour every fiber of their being into the vital work of feeding, fueling, and clothing America and the rest of the world, and they deserve our gratitude.
Read MoreUSDA released the 2026 Prospective Plantings Report on March 31. Nationally, producers intend to plant fewer corn acres and more soybeans and cotton. Corn acreage is projected at 95.3 million acres, down 3.5% from the 2025 actual planted acreage, while soybean acreage is expected to increase 4.3% to 84.7 million acres.
Read MoreAllison and Grant Guidroz woke up near midnight in September last year to a horrifying site at their Baton Rouge home and micro-farm — a fire rising from their detached garage.
The Guidrozes operate Fullness Farm, an organic micro-farm built on the old Longwood Plantation that amasses one acre of the 15-acre property. In the fire, the family lost their tractor, truck and stores of bottled-up honey and seeds. The family and farm were unharmed. Their younger two children, luckily, were staying at their grandparent's home.
Read MoreU.S. agriculture equipment maker Deere on Monday agreed to pay $99 million into a settlement fund for farms and farmers that are part of a class action over costs and access to repairs.
Read MoreThe April USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report is scheduled for release on Thursday, April 9. Historically, this is one of the least volatile reports of the year.
Read MoreThe Louisiana shrimping industry is taking a direct hit from the high cost of fuel due to the war in Iran.
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