The pasture mealybug, Heliococcus summervillei, has been confirmed to be infesting sugarcane in Vermilion, Iberia, and West Baton Rouge Parishes. The pest is a recently detected invasive insect in the U.S. that is native to India, southeast Asia, and Australia. In its native range, pasture mealybug is a major pest of pasture grasses, but has also been recorded from sugarcane, rice, and numerous other grass species.
Read MoreEleven people have become ill, with two people being hospitalized, after consuming raw, unpasteurized milk, the Louisiana Department of Health said Tuesday.
Since April 23, the people experiencing illness have tested positive for campylobacteriosis and/or cryptosporidiosis, infectious intestinal diseases.
Read MoreWith severe flooding from Tropical Storm Arthur disrupting farming operations, Congresswoman Julia Letlow is requesting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) declare an agricultural emergency for the State of Louisiana.
Read MoreA 19-year-old from Tangipahoa Parish took home the title of 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Queen at the group's 104th annual convention.
Jean Treas earned the crown after competing with 21 young women from across the state. The contest included an interview about agriculture, a style show and an evening gown presentation.
Read MoreA slimmed down Republican Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, who is already the state's longest-serving statewide elected official, said he will run for a sixth term in 2027.
Strain spoke at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans over the weekend.
Read MoreAcadiana Farmer Richard Fontenot will continue to lead Louisiana's most influential agriculture voice as president of Farm Bureau, which wields considerable political clout and lobbies to set policy for the state's $13 billion industry.
Fontenot was elected June 21 to a third one-year term as president at the Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans.
Read MoreA one-page bill sponsored by an unlikely team of U.S. congressmen could hold the key to stabilizing the crawfish industry.
As we previously reported, several processing plants across the state were left without H2B visa workers to peel crawfish. Farmers say it sent shockwaves across the industry.
Read MoreParts of Central Louisiana received several inches of rain as remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur impacted portions of the state, and one man had to go on a rescue mission on his property.
Read MoreLast week, the Louisiana Farm Bureau (LAFB) held its 104th Annual Convention here, featuring a host of speakers and panels focused on the challenges and opportunities facing producers in Louisiana.
Delegates also convened for official business and LAFB elections, including that of Richard Fontenot, a fourth-generation rice farmer from Ville Platte, who was reelected to serve his third term as president, and, of course, to share in the celebration of the newest LAFB Queen, Jean Treas from Tangipahoa Parish.
Read MoreTropical Storm Arthur dropped historical amounts of rain causing dangerous and destructive flooding in parts of Louisiana, prompting Gov. Jeff Landry to declare a state of emergency for Avoyelles, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Tammany, and Terrebonne parishes.
Read MoreTropical Storm Arthur battered south Louisiana with heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes and widespread power outages as the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season moved inland after making landfall along the Texas coast.
Arthur briefly strengthened into a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph before making landfall near the upper Texas coast and weakening into a post tropical system.
Read MoreSouthern crop agriculture occupies a prominent position in the history of the U.S. crop safety net (Coppess). Thus, understanding its role in U.S. crop agriculture is important.
Over the last 100 years, harvested crop acres have declined more in the South than the rest of the U.S. Cotton accounted for most of the decline during the first 50 years.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has teamed up with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to launch the Louisiana Forestry Initiative, which is an estimated 3 million dollar program designed to improve both wildlife management and private forest health.
The initiative, also known as LFI, was funded by the U.S. Forest Service and administered by the National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative Foundation.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation culminated the opening night of its 104th Annual Convention with Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau capturing the President’s Award, the organization’s highest parish honor, for the seventh year straight.
The President’s Award recognizes the parish Farm Bureau excelling in membership, advocacy and communications over the past year.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Trump administration’s clarification of a key aspect of farm labor access for the dairy sector.
“Farmers thank the Trump administration for addressing the farm labor crisis by expanding H-2A access for certain dairy jobs. The reality is clear - fewer Americans choose to work on farms while the need for qualified workers increases, creating a difficult labor market for U.S. farm families.
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