Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) released the following statement on efforts to address workforce challenges facing Louisiana’s crawfish industry.

“Many of Louisiana’s crawfish processors are facing significant workforce shortages due to complications involving legal immigrant temporary employee visas. Historically, seasonal workers and the visa system that allows them to be legally employed in America is fraught with controversy and bureaucratic uncertainty.”

The bacteria that is responsible for nitrogen fixation in soybean is Bradyrhizobium japonicum. If a field has never been planted to soybean, it is likely the seed will need to be inoculated. The bacteria can survive many years until the next soybean crop, but the common recommendation is to inoculate seed if soybean has not been planted for 3 to 5 years. However, research has indicated that an increase in yield is possible if seed is inoculated in a regular soybean rotation.

Optimum soybean planting windows differ among the Northeast, Central, and Southwest regions of Louisiana

Optimum soybean planting windows differ among the Northeast, Central, and Southwest regions of Louisiana

Depending on maturity group, the planting window to achieve at least 95% of yield potential in the Central region ranged from March 21 through May 16, with predicted peak yield dates occurring between April 12 and May 1.

In the heart of Cajun country, Allen Mclain farms about 3,000 acres of rice together with his wife, father, and two younger brothers. Much of their crop, all south of LA-14, is under threat. Saltwater from the Gulf is slowly, and some days quickly, making its way up through marshes, bayous, and over levees.

There are still some timing issues regarding the forecast confidence (with the action more than 48 hours out), but confidence is increasing with regard to the upcoming Sunday/Monday frontal passage.

Over 2.0 million landowners rented out 348 million acres of farmland, according to the results of the 2024 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey results released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Of these acres, 79% are owned by non-farming landlords.

Crawfish processors across Louisiana say a shortage of temporary work visas has left them without the migrant labor they depend on, forcing plants to sit idle during the busiest part of the season, and threatening a key part of Louisiana’s $640 million crawfish industry.

The trade and immigration policies of the Trump administration have rippled through the nation’s economy in myriad ways, and Louisiana has not been immune to their effects. In recent months, we’ve catalogued the ways tariffs have affected our ports, our retailers and even our coffee shops.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated eight north Louisiana parishes as Natural Disaster Areas following the severe winter storm in January.

The commissioner of agriculture and forestry is sounding the alarm over the lack of crawfish peelers in the state. Mike Strain says this is because the Department of Homeland Security has stopped processing H-2B applications for skilled guest workers, preventing them from coming back.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the Trump administration is working to ease labor restrictions for Louisiana farmers, particularly those in the aquaculture industry, as planting season begins amid rising diesel prices and ongoing visa limitations.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, encouraged Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to permit Louisiana to use a pesticide required to combat rice delphacid infestations.

After a series of earthquakes in northwest Louisiana triggered by Thursday’s magnitude 4.9 in Red River Parish, the U.S. Geological Survey spent time this week installing new equipment to assist in detecting earthquakes. Among those on the team was Cynthia Ebinger with the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering, who says this is standard operating procedure.

Two crawfish farm workers could have to pay $15,000 after authorities said they shot and killed an endangered whooping crane.

The crawfish industry is facing a labor shortage due to federal immigration caps as the state enters the start of the harvesting season, Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain said in a House committee meeting on Tuesday.

After careful consideration, we are excited to announce the Social Media Ambassadors, sponsored by Case IH, and the Farm Bureau Fellows, sponsored by CoBank, for the 2026 YF&R Leadership Conference. By the look of our applicant pool, the future of agriculture, food and natural resources is bright!

During the week ending in early March 2026, Louisiana experienced very dry and unusually warm conditions. A February 27 cold front brought the only rainfall, with most areas receiving less than 0.20 inches and many locations reporting no rain. Temperatures stayed well above normal, reaching 85°F at Leesville and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. The March 5 update from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed worsening drought conditions across more than three-quarters of the state, with increased fire danger and multiple burn bans in place. Despite the heat and humidity occasionally producing dense morning fog in southern and central areas, the week saw no severe weather watches, warnings, or reports.

Action has already begun today in NW Louisiana, where the NWS has issued a number of Tornado and Severe T-Storm Warnings this morning.

The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation made farming in our parish quite a bit safer with the donation of a Grain Bin Rescue Tube and Rescue Auger to the Natchitoches Fire Department, Wednesday, March 4 at the Parish Fairgrounds. Grain Bin Entrapment is an extremely dangerous situation in which a person working in a grain bin falls in. Moving grain will cause the person to rapidly sink. The grain is heavy and exerts pressure on the body. A person in grain over their knees will not be able to be lifted out. As the grain rises, so does the pressure.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it has awarded over $26.8 million to grant projects through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). The program helps local and regional food entities develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. LAMP includes the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), and the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP).