With 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.

A 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.

A 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.

Acadiana 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.

A 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.

Parts 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.

Last 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.

Tropical 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.

Southern crop agriculture occupies a prominent position in the history of the U.S. crop safety net (Coppess). Thus, understanding its role in U.S. crop agriculture is important. 

Over the last 100 years, harvested crop acres have declined more in the South than the rest of the U.S. Cotton accounted for most of the decline during the first 50 years.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has teamed up with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to launch the Louisiana Forestry Initiative, which is an estimated 3 million dollar program designed to improve both wildlife management and private forest health.

The initiative, also known as LFI, was funded by the U.S. Forest Service and administered by the National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative Foundation.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Trump administration’s clarification of a key aspect of farm labor access for the dairy sector.

“Farmers thank the Trump administration for addressing the farm labor crisis by expanding H-2A access for certain dairy jobs. The reality is clear - fewer Americans choose to work on farms while the need for qualified workers increases, creating a difficult labor market for U.S. farm families.

Congressmen Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA), Clay Higgins (R-LA), and Cleo Fields (D-LA) introduced the bipartisan Crawfish Reclassification for Agricultural Workforce (CRAW) Act. This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to explicitly classify crawfish‑processing work—such as washing, sorting, grading, whole‑boiling, peeling, and transporting—as “agricultural labor or services.”  By recognizing these tasks as agricultural, the legislation makes crawfish‑processing employers eligible to use the H‑2A visa program, which is designed for temporary agricultural labor and is not subject to the annual caps that restrict the H‑2B program.

Starting Aug. 1, there will be stricter penalties for businesses caught mixing domestic and foreign seafood and selling it as locally sourced.

The law's author, State Representative Timothy Kerner (R-Lafitte), says that the law, signed by Governor Jeff Landry a week ago, will help out the Louisiana seafood industry.

USDA is investing $105 million in 40 projects intended to combat the spread of New World screwworm. Those projects will receive funding through its “New World Screwworm Grand Challenge.”

The initiative, overseen by the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, offered financial support for projects aimed at fighting the spread of New World screwworm.

The threat for active storms is not over for Louisiana ... but concerns for any widespread severe weather and tropical impacts are on a slow decline for the Bayou State.

Arthur appears to have already moved inland and is expected to remain inland for the rest of 'his' brief journey.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, with support from Farm Credit, is seeking applicants for the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence. The award recognizes U.S. military veterans or service members for excellence in farming or agriculture and positively impacting local communities.

The CFPCGP projects are to be designed to require a one-time contribution of Federal assistance to become self-reliant and meet short- and long-term goals. Applicants are required to address at least one short-term and one long-term CFPCGP goals that best fit the plan or project being proposed to ensure a comprehensive and enduring approach to resolving food and nutrition security and hunger.

The 2026/27 U.S. corn outlook remains virtually unchanged relative to last month. June’s WASDE report calls for fractionally higher beginning and ending stocks for 2026/27, reflective of mostly offsetting trade and domestic use changes for 2025/26 with adjustments to imports, corn used for ethanol, and exports based on data to date. The 2026/27 season-average farm price received by producers is unchanged at $4.40 per bushel.

The USDA reported on June 15 that Louisiana farmers have completed soybean planting, while 95% of U.S. soybean acreage was planted as of June 14 across the top producing states. The update matters because faster planting, stronger emergence and improving crop ratings could shape 2026 yield expectations, commodity prices, crop insurance decisions and farm income across the U.S. grain sector.

The 11th USDA Crop Progress report of the 2026 growing season showed generally solid momentum for row crops.

As of June 14, 95% of the soybean crop in the nation’s top 18 soybean-growing states was in the ground. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 93%.

Farmers in Louisiana are done planting soybeans.

River Queen Greens, as the name suggests, lies just outside of the levee blocking the Mississippi River, a 20-minute drive from downtown New Orleans. The farm produces certified naturally grown vegetables to sell to local restaurants and at farmers markets.

But summer is the farm’s off-season, which means it’s time for cover crops. One of the fields has already grown a lush crop of sunflowers that reach shoulder height.