Content Tagged As agriculture

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  • Ag officials warn of potential horse virus

    March 5, 2013 8:03 AM

    BATON ROUGE - State agriculture officials are monitoring an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus-1 at the Horse Shows in the Sun equestrian event last month in Ocala, Fla. The state Department of Agriculture and Forestry says on Feb. 21 a horse was diagnosed with a wild strain of the virus... more »
  • 2nd top La extension service official is retiring

    January 14, 2013 1:00 PM

    BATON ROUGE - A second top official of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service is retiring. The LSU AgCenter said Monday that Dwight Landreneau - an AgCenter associate vice chancellor and associate director of the extension service - will retire June 1. On Jan. 4, extension service director and AgCenter vice... more »
  • 'Cane farmers want more storm protection

    November 26, 2012 9:47 PM

    THIBODAUX- Sugar Cane farmers want stronger protections from hurricanes since Isaac flooded farmland. 22 parishes in Louisiana produce more than 2.9 billion pounds of raw sugar on 408,000 acres. "We are asking the [Army Corps of Engineers] to take agricultural farmland into account as they plan future flood... more »
  • New fungicide aids with resistant rice disease

    May 25, 2012 2:31 PM

    BATON ROUGE - LSU Agriculture experts say a new fungicide could help rice growers fight a plant disease known as sheath blight. The LSU AgCenter says the new fungicide's brand name is Sercadis. It is sold by BASF. A news release from the AgCenter says the use of Sercadis has... more »
  • Wildfire contained near Albany

    November 17, 2011 5:59 PM

    ALBANY - Firefighting crews contained a wildfire Thursday afternoon near Albany. The fire is located south of Hwy. 190, near the end of Blount Road between Albany and Holden. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry says the fire has been contained but damaged an estimated 80 acres... more »
  • Strain re-elected as La. agriculture commissioner

    October 22, 2011 9:54 PM

    BATON ROUGE - Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain is getting a second term in office. Strain, a Republican veterinarian from Covington, easily defeated two opponents Saturday who had raised little to no money to challenge his re-election bid. A former state House member, Strain said he had managed the... more »
  • LSU AgCenter awarded $17M biofuels grant

    October 3, 2011 2:33 PM

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded the LSU AgCenter a five-year $17.2 million grant to speed up the process for developing biofuels and biochemicals from sugarcane and sweet sorghum. The grant is part of a $136 million package the USDA gave to five universities with the overarching goal... more »
  • Rodeo Arena in motion in Livingston Parish

    September 22, 2011 10:45 PM

    LIVINGSTON- The Livingston Parish Council unanimously tipped its hat to developing a Multi-Use Agricultural Center for the parish Thursday night. A group of citizens brought the idea to the council after months of work on their own to develop location and funding options. They say the current horse-riding ring... more »
  • USDA announces recall of 36M lbs of ground turkey

    August 3, 2011 5:40 PM

    WASHINGTON - The Agriculture Department says meat giant Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey linked to a death in California and at least 76 other salmonella illnesses. Illnesses in the outbreak date back to March and have been reported in 26 states coast to coast, including... more »
  • Frustrated farmers vent as rivers rise

    May 20, 2011 5:44 AM

    VIDALIA- An overflow crowd turned out Thursday for a meeting in Vidalia with state and federal agricultural officials. Farmers are suffering from the Mississippi River flood, even though flooding of fields is minimal. A drought, deer being driven into their fields by the rising river, and seepage - water pushed... more »
  • Frustrated farmers vent as rivers rise

    May 19, 2011 5:16 PM

    VIDALIA - An overflow crowd turned out Thursday for a meeting in Vidalia with state and federal agricultural officials. Farmers are suffering from the Mississippi River flood, even though flooding of fields is minimal. A drought, deer being driven into their fields by the rising river, and seepage... more »
  • Strain: USDA will honor crop insurance for flooded farmers

    May 14, 2011 9:37 PM

    BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's agriculture commissioner says farmers who had crop insurance will get reimbursed if their crops are damaged by flooding caused by the Mississippi. Commissioner Mike Strain said the U.S. Department of Agriculture had agreed to honor crop insurance payments for farmers with insurance that either lose... more »
  • La. agriculture $9.9B in 2010, up 20 percent

    March 29, 2011 2:42 PM

    NEW ORLEANS- The LSU AgCenter says timber and poultry exports to Asia helped Louisiana's agricultural economy recover to $9.9 billion last year, up 20 percent from the $8.3 billion total in 2009. It says the poultry plant in Farmerville, which was closed for part of 2009, and timber exports... more »
  • Lacassine syrup mill deal faces problems

    March 10, 2011 11:09 AM

    BATON ROUGE - A controversial $45 million syrup mill built by the state is facing new problems, a state official said Wednesday. The company buying the Lacassine syrup mill is more than three months late in making a $100,000 interest payment to the state. State Agriculture Commissioner Mike... more »
  • US food, farm exports could have record year

    March 4, 2011 1:23 PM

    TAMPA, Fla. - Federal officials are expecting a record year for U.S. agriculture exports. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says farm and food products are expected to reach a record $135.5 billion in fiscal year 2011, which ends in September. Vilsack told The Associated Press that U.S. agriculture may... more »
  • La. Farmers: 1 Week for 2009 Aid Applications

    December 2, 2010 10:29 AM

    BATON ROUGE - Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain reminds Louisiana farmers they have a week left to apply for federal help for crop losses from last year's soggy weather. The deadline for Crop Assistance Program applications is close of business on Dec. 9.Fifty-four parishes were among 953 counties in 34... more »
  • La. farmers sign up for wetlands program

    November 13, 2010 11:06 AM

    NEW ORLEANS - U.S. agriculture officials say a record number of Louisiana farmers signed up this year for a program to turn little-used farm land into wetlands. In Louisiana, 22,544 acres were included in the Wetlands Reserve Program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Across the United States, more... more »
  • Fund set up for LA farmers with 2009 losses

    September 20, 2010 2:17 PM

    Some Louisiana cotton, rice, soybean and sweet potato farmers have a chance to help recover their losses from last year’s flooded harvest. The state Department of Agriculture and Forestry announced today that a $550 million disaster relief program has been created to help farmers that had at least a five... more »
  • 3 arrested in 2 separate timber probes

    August 28, 2010 12:18 PM

    State investigators accuse three loggers of failing to pay for timber harvested in Sabine and DeSoto parishes. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says bond was set at $5,000 for 34-year-old Garvis W. Hickman of Hornbeck, accused of failing to pay landowners for about $28,000 worth of timber. He says... more »
  • Feds could pay farmers for wildlife habitat

    July 20, 2010 5:25 AM

    A new program could compensate farmers for agricultural practices that provide habitat to wildlife. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service says the program could pay farmers for creating mud flats in their fields, pumping water onto fields and holding water. State conservationist Kevin Norton says the same... more »
  • ULM relying on land to help raise cash

    June 6, 2010 6:39 PM

    The University of Louisiana at Monroe is leasing land it owns to farmers and horse breeders. That's according to a report in the Monroe News Star. ULM Foundation Director Don Skelton says the leases are are part of an effort to create revenue and increase the long term value of... more »
  • Deadline for 2008 hurricane agribusiness loans

    May 19, 2010 5:34 AM

    Agribusiness owners affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike have until May 28 to apply for low-interest loans through the Agribusiness Recovery Loan Program. Finished applications must be delivered and date stamped by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture by that date. The program provides low-interest loans to businesses such as aerial... more »
  • Church Point producer appointed to beef board

    May 6, 2010 5:44 AM

    U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has appointed Genevieve Lyons of Church Point to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board. The board oversees the national Beef Checkoff Program, which pays for research, education and promotion. Members are volunteers who serve three year terms. The checkoff assesses $1 per head... more »
  • Yet another record low expected for La. cotton

    March 31, 2010 4:12 PM

    A federal survey finds that Louisiana farmers expect to plant less cotton this year than ever before, but the total planted nationally may be up from a year ago. The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service said Wednesday that, nationally, farmers expect to plant 10.5 million acres of cotton. That's... more »
  • More cane this season, but less sugar

    January 19, 2010 9:02 AM

    A state agriculture expert says Louisiana's sugar cane growers had a good crop this year, but wet weather means there was less sugar in the cane. LSU AgCenter sugar cane specialist Kenneth Gravois said that even with Hurricane Gustav in 2008, growers had a very dry harvest. There was less... more »
  • U.S. cotton production rises

    October 9, 2009 10:44 AM

    U.S. cotton production is forecast to reach 13 million bales, slightly more than a year ago, with farmers in parts of the South expecting record yields. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in spite of growers planting fewer cotton acres this year, many states are expecting higher production... more »

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