Pasture Mealybug Update: August 2, 2026
Almost across the board this past week, we were still seeing mostly (and many) young nymphs and few adults.
A new insecticide test just put out (7/31) on last year’s infested cane comparing imidacloprid impregnated potash, soil treatments, and foliar treatments. This field has previously been treated this year, but yellowing has increased dramatically in the past few weeks.
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Farm Bureau Encouraged By Senate Farm Bill Markup Schedule
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall today applauded the release of farm bill text and notice of a Senate Ag markup for next week.
“When you look across the spectrum of agriculture, there is one piece of legislation that touches almost every farm in America, and that’s the farm bill, so it’s time for Congress to get it done.”
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A Common Goal Connects The Louisiana Sugarcane Inustry
If you ask Denise Wright how she found her way into agricultural research and consulting, she won’t tell you it was part of some carefully planned career path. She’ll simply tell you she grew up in Bayou Jacque, loved being outdoors and loved agriculture.
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Senate Farm Bill Markup Expected Next Week
The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to mark up its farm bill next week, but Sen. Joni Ernst told Fox Business she does not expect the legislation to receive a Senate vote before the August recess.
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Cotton, Rice Producers Squeezed Despite Falling Fertilizer Prices
Southern growers are just getting started on rice harvest and the numbers coming out of this season tell two very different stories at once: input costs are finally easing off their spring peaks, while a historic pullback in Arkansas rice acreage has pushed futures prices to levels not seen in years.
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Plaquemines Parish citrus farmer Ben Becnel Sr. dies at 83
Ben Becnel Sr., a well-known citrus and produce farmer in Plaquemines Parish, has died. He was 83.
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Southern University Demonstration Farm Reconnects Visitors to Agriculture
Behind Southern University’s greenhouse building, rows of tomatoes, peppers, flowers and other seasonal crops are helping reconnect people with agriculture one garden bed at a time.
The Southern University Ag Center officially opened its Demonstration Farm on July 1. Designed as a living classroom, the farm gives students, extension agents and community members hands-on experience growing food while demonstrating techniques that can be adapted for backyards, schools, churches and neighborhood gardens.
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The Price of Rice: Why a Good Crop Does Not Always Mean Strong Returns
For the farmer who grew it, however, the economics are anything but simple. In June, the average retail price for uncooked, white long-grain rice was about $1.09 per pound nationwide and $1.21 per pound in the South, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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USDA Announces $35 Million for Feral Hog Eradication in Most Louisiana Parishes
Farmers in south Louisiana could soon have access to federal funding aimed at tackling one of the region’s most persistent agricultural challenges: feral hogs.
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Incoming USA Rice Chair Owen Meets with Speaker Johnson on Rice Trade and Economic Assistance
As August recess began for the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson requested a small roundtable style gathering of farmers back in his home district, Louisiana's 4th, with the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and Louisiana commodity leaders.
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Louisiana Rice Growers Pressured by Rising Costs
Louisiana rice harvest is picking up as weather conditions allow combines to move through fields, but lower prices and rising production costs are making it difficult for farmers to turn a profit.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson Meets With Louisiana Farmers To Discuss Trade, Economic Struggles
With the U.S. House of Representatives in recess, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson returned home to Northwest Louisiana this week to host a roundtable with agricultural producers facing heavy economic pressure and competitive trade challenges.
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USDA Projects Long-Grain Rice Stocks Down 52% This Year
USDA’s July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released July 10, projects U.S. rice production at its lowest level in nearly four decades. Total rice production is estimated at 153.3 million cwt, which would be the smallest crop since 1987.
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Section 18 Crisis Exemption 26LA04 Expiration
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry would like to clarify questions regarding the expiration date of Section 18 Crisis Exemption 26LA04 for selected imidacloprid products.
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USDA Reports Provide Insight into Cattle Markets
The USDA released the July Cattle Inventory and July Cattle on Feed Reports last week. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the two reports offer a good snapshot of the current U.S. cattle industry.
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