Beef Prices Rise as Cattle Farmers Face Supply Challenges and Disease Concerns
If you've noticed higher prices for ground beef at the grocery store, you're not alone. Consumers across the country are paying more at the meat counter due to shrinking cattle supplies and ongoing industry concerns continue to drive up costs.
KTBS Chief Meteorologist Patrick Dennis recently visited Smith Family Farms in Bossier City to learn more about the factors affecting the beef market.
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Hay Farmers Suffer Major Losses from Tropical Storm Arthur Flooding
Floodwaters that swept through Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes devastated hay fields, leaving farmers to contend with rotting crops, mounting disposal costs, and a hay shortage that could strain cattle producers across the region.
The rain fell hardest in Avoyelles Parish, but as water moved south, farmers in northern St. Landry Parish watched fields, roads, and yards change by the day.
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Louisiana Growers Get Emergency Approval to Fight New Sugarcane Pest
Louisiana sugarcane producers celebrated a record year in 2025, but a year of home runs was inevitably followed by one of Mother Nature’s curveballs — in this case, a never-before-seen invasive pest that not only turns plants and saps sugar productivity but also infects plant tissue with a virus that could change its genetic makeup.
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Symbiosis Marks Innovative Front in Battle to Control New World Screwworm
Symbiotic relationships come in many harmless forms throughout nature: clownfish and anemones, whales and barnacles, and bees and flowers to name a few. Two LSU AgCenter scientists are studying how to use symbiosis to potentially control a dangerous pest that is anything but harmless — the New World screwworm.
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One in Four U.S. Cotton Acres Provides Field-Level Data Through the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol today announced that 2.34 million planted acres now provide field-level data through the program for the 2026 crop year, representing nearly one in four of the 9.85 million total U.S. cotton acres planted this season.
This reflects the continued commitment of U.S. cotton growers to responsible production, even as they navigate a challenging economic landscape. Despite facing fluctuating input costs, unpredictable weather, and shifting market dynamics, growers are choosing to formalize and voluntarily provide data on their sustainability practices.
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Meta Commits an Additional $50 Billion to North Louisiana Project
Meta announced it is committing more than $50 billion to its Richland Parish Data Center project, expanding the campus to nearly 10 million square feet and 5 gigawatts of IT capacity. Home to Hyperion, the company’s largest AI training cluster, the Northeast Louisiana facility will be the largest in Meta’s global fleet and one of the largest data centers ever built.
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Ground Shift: What’s Reshaping America’s Agricultural Land Base
Since 1982, cropland, pastureland and rangeland have declined, while developed land has increased by nearly 48 million acres (66%), roughly the size of Nebraska.
Acres moving between cropland, pasture and the Conservation Reserve Program may remain connected to agriculture, while land converted to housing, industrial sites, roads or other built uses is far less likely to return to production.
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Leadership Changes and More at USA Rice Summer Meetings
More than 100 USA Rice volunteer leaders gathered here last week for annual membership meetings, budget and policy discussions, and program reviews. During the two packed days, ten committees, seven boards of directors, one working group, and all six major rice producing state delegations met to set the industry’s course ahead.
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Women in Agribusiness Summit 2026
The 15th anniversary of the Women in Agribusiness Summit, will be held at the New Orleans Hilton September 22nd through the 24th. This years summit will bring together professionals from across the food and ag value chains.
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2026 Horizon Ag & USA Rice Awards
The RICE Awards recognize individuals who embrace the values of Resilience, Innovation, Contribution and Excellence (RICE) in their work throughout the rice industry. If you know someone who exemplifies these characteristics, help us honor their incredible achievements by nominating them for a 2026 RICE Award.
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Market Update for Corn, Soybeans, Rice, and Cotton: July 2026
This month’s 2026/27 U.S. corn outlook is for smaller supplies, greater exports, and reduced ending stocks. Corn beginning stocks are cut 125 million bushels to 2.0 billion, reflecting an increase in feed and residual use that is partly offset by a reduction in corn used for ethanol for 2025/26. Feed and residual use is raised 150 million bushels based on indicated disappearance in the June 30 Grain Stocks report.
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New Garden Opens at SU Ag Center as Way to Teach Visitors About Agriculture
The Southern University Ag Center has a new way to teach visitors about vegetable production, sustainable gardening techniques, and more.
University leaders cut the ribbon on the new Demonstration Farm during a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, July 1. The Demonstration Farm serves as a garden and living classroom.
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High Energy Costs From Iran War Heighten Pressure on Struggling Louisiana Farmers
In northeast Louisiana, agriculture pilot Reed Keahey flies with sticker shock.
His plane needs kerosene-based Jet-A fuel, the price of which has soared during the Iran war. A gallon that cost $2.46 in February, just before the war broke out, peaked at $4.11 in May.
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2026 Sugarcane Variety Performance
Sugarcane varieties are the lifeblood of the Louisiana sugar industry. As a result, variety selection is one of the most important decisions a producer makes — one with long-term implications. The goal is to maximize profitability on every acre throughout an extended crop cycle.
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Crop Insurance Policy Changes Effective for the 2027 and Succeeding Crop Years
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) has updated multiple crop insurance policies beginning with the 2027 crop year for crops with a June 30, 2026, contract change date, and for the 2028 crop year for crops with an earlier contract change date.
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