Farmers from across the country are urging the federal government to expedite an investigation of the fertilizer industry as they struggle with “impossibly high input costs.”
A letter from grower associations follows a slew of recent federal actions taken to address the expense of fertilizers.
Read MoreCaddo Parish is continuing to address its hog problem one sounder at a time.
Since February, Caddo Parish has been deploying a trap to catch up to 20 wild hogs — a longstanding and widespread nuisance — at a time. This week, after another successful roundup, the parish released a video detailing their efforts to reduce the risks associated with wild pigs.
Read MoreTulane University researchers and the recycling facility Glass Half Full are using evolutionary relationships between bacteria, fungi and plants to grow cypress and other plant species in glass sand created from recycled bottles.
Scientists hope to build back areas of Louisiana’s coast that have been eroded with the glass sand they have developed.
Read MoreThe U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent. A New Iberia farm owner says the change could benefit the agriculture industry, primarily on safety grounds.
Read MoreThe Hardwood Saw Mill has reopened with new owners.
Businessmen Magruder and Alex Kirkland from Jackson, Louisiana have purchased the mill after the previous owners, Hunt Forest Products, closed it a couple weeks ago.
Read MoreThe Richland Parish Farm Bureau Board discussed the growing controversy surrounding carbon capture projects, including eminent domain concerns, during its July 7 meeting.
Burch Pierce, second vice president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Board of Directors, said carbon capture first appeared in Louisiana legislation in 2009, but interest increased significantly after additional legislation was introduced in 2020.
Read MoreIt has been a challenging time for farmers. First tariffs, and more recently, restrictions on ships in the Strait of Hormuz carrying fertilizer or the elements and compounds in it, have increased the cost of bringing crops to harvest.
LSU Ag Center’s Dr. Peters Egbedi said farmers have dealt with the increases in different ways. Some, anticipating price hikes, purchased extra fertilizer early.
Read MoreU.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced the certification of the Farmers Innovation Fund as a Rural Business Investment Company, expanding private-sector investment opportunities for innovative agricultural businesses serving rural America.
Read MoreState and local leaders joined ConnectLA and Volt Broadband today to celebrate the completion of a broadband expansion project connecting homes and businesses in Northeast Louisiana, marking another milestone in Louisiana's statewide effort to connect every community with reliable, affordable high-speed internet.
Read MoreThe predictions of a harvest increase over last year’s were undercut by the news of the arrival of a worrisome, invasive insect at the LSU AgCenter’s annual Sugar Research Station field day July 15.
At the outset of the day, AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Services is indicating a 5,000-to-6,000-acre increase over last year’s crop, with a clearer focus coming into view in August.
Read MoreCrop farmers continue to face elevated production costs, lower commodity prices and tight margins – with no relief on the horizon. AFBF analysis projects 2027 will mark a sixth year of negative returns over total costs for most major row crops. Specialty crop farmers are experiencing similar financial strain, facing expected below-breakeven prices and acreage reductions across major fruit, vegetable and tree nut sectors in 2026, even as limited public data make the full scale of losses difficult to measure. At the same time, fertilizer and fuel prices remain volatile, with the Iran conflict adding additional pressure to those markets.
Read MoreDr. Maxwell Amos Lea Jr., 79, "Mack," a resident of Zachary, LA, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 13, 2026.
Mack was an active member of the Louisiana Cattleman’s Association, Zachary Rotary Club, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and enjoyed volunteering weekly at the Zachary Food Pantry.
Read MoreWith optimism for the cattle business remaining strong, nearly 700 cattle producers from across the country gathered in Aurora, Colorado, this week for the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting. This event helps shape the future of the industry through grassroots policy development and discussions that will guide research, education and promotion efforts.
Read MoreSeveral years of high inflation and low commodity prices, coupled with volatile production costs, are continuing to squeeze farmers financially. These forces are projected to hit farmers with $32 billion in losses for the major row crops in 2027 after a projected loss of $31 billion in 2026. Fruit, vegetable, nut and other specialty crop farmers faced billions of dollars in losses in 2025, with difficult market conditions continuing throughout 2026.
Read MoreHouse Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a budget framework for a roughly $95 billion reconciliation package that would provide funding for defense, farm aid and state efforts to implement voter ID requirements in elections.
The resolution marks the opening salvo in Republicans’ effort to use the budget reconciliation process one final time to advance key GOP priorities while they still control both chambers of Congress and the White House.
Read More
