As we flip the calendar to November, it looks like our weather pattern will also begin to flip. This is incredible news for pretty much everyone as we now have a significant part of the state in a D4 exceptional drought, which is the top of the scale when it comes to drought conditions. 

The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation joined Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain and other state agricultural organizations in urging federal officials to release the maximum allowable number of supplemental H-2B visas for fiscal year 2027 to help seasonal businesses address labor shortages.

Eddie Lewis III’s sugar cane crop looks better than it has in years, but he’ll be lucky if he breaks even by the end of the harvest.

Diesel prices have nearly doubled since he created his budget last winter. Fertilizer costs are up 20%. And a new, invasive pest known as the pasture mealybug has led to an unexpected $25,000 pesticide bill.

For Eli Graham, farming has always been about more than being the next generation in his family to farm. It is about raising a family, working alongside people who have become like family and learning to take life as it comes.

What happens to a crop after it leaves the farm can be just as important as what happens while it is growing.

Avery Davidson sits down at the Port of New Orleans with U.S. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Michael Rutherford, Port NOLA Chief Commercial Officer Kristi App and Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain to follow agriculture from the farm gate to the global marketplace.

For generations, Louisiana farmers have helped feed thousands while supporting an industry deeply connected to the state’s economy and culture. Today, maintaining that legacy requires farmers to balance longstanding traditions with new technologies, changing market demands and rising costs.

In honor of National Farmers Day on October 12, we take a closer look at the farmers behind some of Louisiana’s signature commodities and how they are navigating changes in agriculture while carrying on family traditions.

We now have Tropical Depression 9, and by the time you're reading this will likely have Tropical Storm Isaias. This system should gather strength over the next few days as it slowly moves eastward and then turns to the north. The initial forecast track brings this inland as a category 1 or 2 hurricane near the Alabama Mississippi border.

Long before football fans fire up the grill, stir a pot of jambalaya or gather around sweet treats on gameday, Louisiana farmers are working hard to make those traditions possible.

Rice, beef, crawfish, poultry and sugar are staples of Louisiana cooking, including countless dishes served before kickoff each week.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Louisiana’s sugarcane industry Friday, touring the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative (LASUCA) in St. Martin Parish and meeting with Gov. Jeff Landry, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain, Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot and industry leaders to discuss the state’s agricultural economy and challenges facing farmers.

The drought continues to expand and intensify. 85% of Louisiana is under at least moderate drought conditions with 25% experiencing severe drought conditions. I know that math seems weird, but the 25% of the state in the severe drought would qualify for “at least” moderate drought. So it’s really dry once again. I think that’s all about to change.

Farmers and loggers are getting much needed help from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as harvest is underway across Louisiana.

Governor Landry signed an executive order declaring an emergency due to the shortage and high cost of diesel fuel.

For generations, agriculture has helped shape the economy, landscape and culture of Vermilion Parish. Rice fields, crawfish ponds and sugarcane farms stretch across the parish toward Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

Now, another industry is preparing to put down roots alongside them.

USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced corrections to its September 2026 Crop Production report on Oct. 23 following concerns about differences between its September and October corn estimates. In a follow-up notice on Oct. 24, NASS explained that incorrect acreage weights had been used to combine irrigated and non-irrigated corn observations in Kansas and Nebraska. The error affected September plant populations and ear counts, resulting in revisions to state-level yields and production, as well as national estimates and 10-state objective-yield averages.

Foreign ownership of U.S. land is a widely debated issue, driven by concerns about national security, agricultural productivity and long-term implications for U.S. agriculture. USDA released updated foreign ownership data for 2024, detailing what foreign investments exist on farmland, where those investments are concentrated and which countries account for the largest holdings.

If you bought beef recently, you probably experienced sticker shock over high prices; yet farmers are experiencing the opposite shock, as the price they’re paid for their cattle falls. How can that be? It’s the result of a complex food supply chain, and beef isn’t alone. It’s a scenario playing out across a variety of agricultural products: big disparities between retail prices and farm gate prices. Before we delve into shoppers’ perceptions about it, let’s compare.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on President Trump’s announcement to provide $8 billion in relief for farmers facing higher diesel prices this fall.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall tonight applauded the executive order signed by President Trump to ease limits on the use of tax-exempt dyed diesel fuel to give farmers a break.

The American Farm Bureau Federation announced the opening of general registration today for the 2027 American Farm Bureau Convention. The convention will be held Jan. 8-13, 2027, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Diesel is used throughout agricultural production, powering tractors, combines, irrigation equipment and the trucks that move crops, livestock and farm inputs. With diesel prices rising sharply in recent weeks, fuel costs have become an even larger concern during one of the most fuel-intensive periods of the year.

A recent Farm Bureau analysis detailed the global supply disruptions and tight fuel markets behind the increase in diesel prices. For farmers, the effects show up directly in the cost of operating equipment and indirectly through higher transportation costs.

As farmers and ranchers face record-high diesel costs, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall called on the president to take several steps to lower prices at the pump, including a temporary suspension of the federal highway diesel tax.

The American Farm Bureau Federation on Thursday called on President Donald Trump to roll back the additional 300,000 metric tons of beef imports authorized by his administration. The group cited new data showing little change in retail ground beef prices since the lower-tariff imports began entering the United States.

The Federal Trade Commission is hearing about a scam targeting some of the hardest working people out there: farmers. Scammers posing as farm equipment businesses are selling (fake) equipment to farmers, who end up empty-handed. Here’s how the scam works and how to avoid it.

Farmland is disappearing across the United States as development and other pressures reduce the amount of land available for agriculture.

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall says competition for farmland is growing as housing, businesses, solar projects, and data centers expand.

Farming requires significant capital. Producers pay for seed, fertilizer, feed, fuel and other inputs months and sometimes years before crops are harvested or livestock are sold. Buying farmland, machinery and other long-term assets often require even more financing.

Those needs are growing. USDA projects total production costs for major field crops to reach new highs in 2027.