The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation’s Livestock Advisory Committee is responding to the needs expressed by Central Louisiana ranchers following last week’s devastating floods. The Louisiana Farm Bureau Hay Clearinghouse connects ranchers who have an abundance of hay with those who lost pastures and forage to ensure their cattle, horses and other livestock can stay alive through this disaster.
Read MoreAnimal advocates are hailing the signing of a bill aimed at protecting Louisiana white-tailed deer. Humane Society of Louisiana Director Jeff Dorson says House Bill 1248 was spawned by a pair of high-profile incidents, in which LDWF agents seized deer from those caring for them and killed them.
“The nation was horrified. That’s not what they want to see in the paper or on tv; little deer being killed that were taken in by good Samaritans,” Dorson said.
Read MoreMacy Rushing remembers her brother encouraging her to create social media posts about her daily life as a cattle rancher in Louisiana's East Feliciana Parish.
"I told him, 'There is nothing interesting about my day,'" said Rushing, who works with her husband, Matt, on their farm.
Read MoreResearchers and staff at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station recently held their 2026 field day for landscape industry professionals.
“This is an annual gathering of industry folks, and it’s a great time for industry people as well as AgCenter specialists to come together and share ideas,” said Hammond Research Station coordinator Christine Coker.
Read MoreOne of the most common observations during the early growing season is uneven crop growth within the same field. While some areas emerge quickly and develop vigorous canopies, others appear delayed or less uniform. These differences can be frustrating for producers, especially when planting conditions seemed favorable and management practices were applied uniformly across the field.
Read MoreThe 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.
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