Louisiana has enacted a pair of new laws requiring additional disclosures on foods produced through emerging technologies, as state lawmakers push for greater transparency in how products are made and marketed to consumers.

Gov. Jeff Landry signed House Bill 783, now Act 783, on June 8. The law requires products made with dairy proteins produced through microbial fermentation to carry a disclosure stating the product was produced through microbial fermentation and not derived from mammalian lactation.

LSU AgCenter horticulturist Joe Willis, also known as “Dr. Joe,” loves helping people grow plants. And the number of awards he’s won this year attests to how good he is at it.

Willis most recently won the National Garden Club’s Award of Excellence, their highest honor, in May, at the annual convention in St. Louis, Missouri.

The LSU AgCenter Agricultural Leadership Development Program is now accepting applications for Class XX, which is scheduled to begin in January 2027 with a completion date of February 2029.

“Developing leaders is one of the most important things we can do to move agriculture forward, especially as we navigate finance, policy and regulatory challenges,” said Matt Lee, senior vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture.

Nominations are now being accepted for farmers and ranchers to serve on local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2026 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 3, 2026.        

U.S. sugar producers face tighter domestic production prospects in 2026/27, while imports are expected to carry more of the supply load. LSU AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto says USDA’s first outlook projects domestic beet and cane sugar production at 8.810 million short tons, raw value.

The USDA has officially declared a number of parishes and counties in Louisiana and Arkansas disaster areas, and that impact is stretching into parts of Texas, too.

For farmers, it's been a tough stretch that started months ago. Many have been dealing with drought since last fall. On top of that, a winter storm hit making an already difficult situation even worse.

I am beginning to see some southern corn leaf blight in the central region. Please find attached some pictures. The lesions are much smaller than northern corn leaf blight, The decision to apply a fungicide should be made on a field-by-field basis (disease resistant hybrid?, growth stage (beyond tasseling?), environmental conditions (disease favored by 68-90 F and high moisture).

Serious, flooding rain will be possible through at least Friday. As I write this late Monday afternoon there are wide ranging rainfall totals across the state. Some areas in the coastal marshes haven’t seen rain, and other areas have seen over 5 inches, with maximum radar estimates approaching 9 inches. This is a fast start to what will be a long term, and serious rain event across Louisiana.

C&C Forest Products will invest over $21 million to rebuild its Coushatta sawmill following a 2025 fire, the company said Thursday in a news release.

The company is expected to create 77 direct new jobs with an average annual salary of $65,260, which is 34% above the average Red River Parish wage, while retaining 27 current positions.

The Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA) has announced a new Summer Culinary Series, sparked by growing community interest in interactive food experiences that highlight local agriculture, culinary learning, and meaningful connection.

Featuring chef-led classes, demonstrations, and tastings designed to showcase the freshest seasonal ingredients available at the Red Stick Farmers Market, the Summer Culinary Series will be hosted inside The Teaching Kitchen at Main Street Market.

The Louisiana ATV/UTV Safety Task Force held their statewide kickoff event at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) headquarters building in Baton Rouge on June 10. The ATV/UTV Safety Task Force will highlight the growing need for youth ATV/UTV safety education and injury prevention efforts across the state.

The beef is safe to eat. Local livestock and pets aren't yet at risk. A reemerged pest hasn't yet found its way to the Ark-La-Tex. 

But the concerns are mounting. If its flesh-eating babies appear in northwest Louisiana, an important piece of the local economy is at risk.

The New World screwworm has arrived in the United States.

For years, ranchers across Southern states have prepared for a potential invasion of the flesh-eating parasite that can wreak havoc on livestock, pets and even humans. 

Though the United States went decades without a confirmed case of the invasive pest, it’s now made its way across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Texas rice producers enter a new crop year with a watchful eye on prices, yield potential and the threat of rice delphacid, an invasive planthopper that wreaked havoc on the 2025 crop, according to Texas A&M AgriLife experts.

Another bout of heavy rain is on the way for Louisiana as tropical moisture interacts with a late season front. The worst of this will happen between Sunday and Tuesday, as the moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristina move northward toward the Gulf Coast.

Lily Perrin is the 2026 recipient of the Dwayne A. Zaunbrecher/Vermilion Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer and Rancher Memorial Scholarship and the Linda and Wayne Zaunbrecher Scholarship.

Dwayne Zaunbrecher was a life-long member of Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau and his goal was to establish an educational scholarship to help young people interested in agriculture.

Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain joined Talk 107.3 to discuss several issues affecting the state. He covered the growing threat of New World screwworms, hurricane preparedness, mosquito control, and the importance of supporting local farmers.

The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana received a beef donation. Last month, the Louisiana Tech University School of Agriculture, Sciences, and Forestry hosted its annual farm production sale.

During the sale, Louisiana Land Bank and Century Next Bank purchased cattle to be donated that were processed into beef products.

Residents in St. Martin Parish have raised concerns about odors, dust and potential health impacts they say are linked to a large sugarcane bagasse storage site owned by the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative.

The site, located off La. 31, has drawn scrutiny from local officials after residents reported issues with bagasse becoming airborne and creating nuisances in the surrounding area.

The H-2A program allows agricultural employers to hire temporary foreign workers when there are not enough available U.S. workers to fill seasonal farm jobs.

Widely used across Louisiana agriculture, the program helps support industries such as sugarcane, crawfish, forestry, nurseries, and vegetable production during peak planting and harvest seasons.