The warning signs for U.S. agriculture in 2026 are stacking up fast. From record-setting drought coverage to historically low snowpack and new research explaining why water supplies aren’t adding up, experts say the challenges facing farmers and ranchers this year aren’t just seasonal. They’re structural, compounding, and increasingly difficult to predict.
Read MoreThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorizations for four animal drugs aimed at preventing and treating New World screwworm, a parasitic threat that can cause severe and often fatal tissue damage in livestock and other animals.
Read MoreSomething big is happening when you see mainstream media outlets with headlines regarding agriculture. That happened this week when the American Farm Bureau Federation announced the results of a nationwide survey that revealed 70 percent of farmers can’t afford to buy all of the fertilizer they’ll need for the 2026 season.
Read MoreDuring the first week of April 2026, Louisiana saw a return of rain after a dry stretch, with showers and storms bringing some much-needed moisture—especially in northwestern and southeastern parts of the state. However, rainfall was still below normal in many areas and only led to minor drought improvement.
Read MoreBetween freeze damage, disease pressure and low commodity prices, wheat farmers in Louisiana are having a tough time in 2026.
“This year has not been very nice to us,” said Boyd Padgett, LSU AgCenter wheat specialist.
Read MoreThe Secreary of Agricuture has designated 25 Parishes here in Louisiana as Natural Disaster Areas due to the recent drought.
Read MoreAgriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is calling on Congress to increase the borrowing authority of a key federal funding mechanism used to support farmers during economic stress. Rollins said the current $30 billion limit for the Commodity Credit Corporation may be insufficient to address rising production costs, market volatility and potential disaster relief needs.
Read MoreWith the quarterly Grain Stocks, annual Prospective Plantings, and April World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports now in the rearview mirror, market attention has shifted toward weather and outside macro events. Most notably, the energy and fertilizer markets — driven by ongoing concerns over the war in Iran — remain major question marks for corn.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation is calling on the federal government to investigate what it describes as unfair foreign trade practices impacting the U.S. crawfish industry.
Read MoreThe amazing thing about a crawfish boil is that there are so many different ways to make it delicious.
A traditional boil typically includes fat, juicy crawfish, boil seasoning, a bundle of aromatics like onion, garlic, bay leaves and citrus, and hearty additions to round out the meal — your potatoes, corn and sausage.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter Macon Ridge Research station holds land in Winnsboro with 7,000 plots to grow crops and do research studies on different strands.
Each year they hold a wheat, oat, and cover crop field day to showcase the studies they are doing, which all aim to serve farmers across Louisiana.
Read MoreAg committee lawmakers returned to Washington after the Easter recess with continued optimism that passage of a new, five-year farm bill is on the horizon.
Read MoreThe last place you might expect to find a cooked crawfish is atop a mound of ice cream, but that is exactly what an ice cream shop in Houston, Texas, serves during peak crawfish season in the spring.
Read MoreLivestock producers are invited to attend the Pasture Monitoring and Management: Tools and Techniques for Healthier Pastures Field Day hosted by the LSU AgCenter in partnership with USDA NRCS. This hands-on field day will focus on practical tools producers can use to evaluate pasture health, improve management decisions, and increase grazing efficiency.
Read MoreCrowds filled the streets of Ponchatoula over the weekend for the annual Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, one of Louisiana’s largest spring events.
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