Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Secretary-Treasurer Mike Melancon was recognized Saturday evening as one of Sugar Journal’s 2026 Sugar Notables, an international honor celebrating individuals whose careers have made lasting contributions to the global sugar industry.

A tropical system is moving toward Louisiana, and my concern level is pretty low. This system has had a hard time organizing, and it looks like the track will be further north. That means this system will have less time over water, and any sort of Louisiana impact will likely be minor.

A crown may distinguish the young woman chosen to serve as Louisiana Farm Bureau Queen, but it is her commitment to agriculture, her passion for people and her willingness to share the stories of Louisiana’s farmers and ranchers that define her role.  

Beyond the sash and title is a year of service travelling across the state to represent the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation at agricultural events, community celebrations and educational programs.

The Richland Parish Farm Bureau Board discussed the growing controversy surrounding carbon capture projects, including eminent domain concerns, during its July 7 meeting.

Burch Pierce, second vice president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Board of Directors, said carbon capture first appeared in Louisiana legislation in 2009, but interest increased significantly after additional legislation was introduced in 2020.

It looks like Louisiana is about to get a taste of the dog days of summer. Drier air is moving in as an upper level low drifts westward over Texas, and brings our organized rain threat along with it. Dangerous flooding will impact parts of the Texas Hill Country toward the Rio Grande River. For us, it'll be all about how hot things get. I expect highs to get close to 100 over a good chunk of Louisiana by early next week.

Floodwaters that swept through Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes devastated hay fields, leaving farmers to contend with rotting crops, mounting disposal costs, and a hay shortage that could strain cattle producers across the region.

The rain fell hardest in Avoyelles Parish, but as water moved south, farmers in northern St. Landry Parish watched fields, roads, and yards change by the day.

Thanks to Buck Leonards and the staff at Louisiana Farm & Ranch for making the digital edition available here.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance, joined by the American Shrimp Processors Association, the Catfish Farmers of America, the Crawfish Processors Alliance, and the Crawfish Commodity Committee of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, submitted comments expressing strong support in favor of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) proposal that additional tariffs of 12.5 percent be imposed on imported goods from China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam, including seafood, and additional tariffs of 10 percent be imposed on imported merchandise from Ecuador, Indonesia, and Mexico, including seafood.

As St. Landry Parish continues its cleanup and recovery from catastrophic flooding, parish officials and farmers are raising questions about whether better canal and drainage maintenance could have reduced the flood's impact.

Canals, bayous, and drainage were among the topics discussed at a meeting with farmers in Opelousas last week. Whiteville farmer Jeffery Sylvester described conditions he observed at drainage weirs before and during the flooding.

Jean Treas, 19, of Tangipahoa Parish, was crowned the 2026 Louisiana Farm Bureau Queen at the organization's 104th annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention on June 20 at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel.

Twenty-one young women representing their respective parish Farm Bureaus participated in the event.

Louisiana's agriculture commissioner met with flood-affected farmers in Opelousas on Monday, urging them to meticulously document their losses as crop damage from catastrophic flooding in Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes climbs into the millions of dollars.

Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain traveled to Opelousas to outline the steps farmers must take to access state and federal assistance following flooding that inundated miles of farm fields and forced livestock to seek higher ground about a week and a half ago.

A long-standing priority of Louisiana Farm Bureau and years of advocacy by Congresswoman Julia Letlow have culminated in legislation that will soon become law.

Upon President Trump’s signature of the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act, critical disaster recovery reforms for Louisiana farmers, ranchers and forest landowners will take effect. That will bring faster recovery when farmers are most in need.

 American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall today applauded the release of farm bill text and notice of a Senate Ag markup for next week.  

“When you look across the spectrum of agriculture, there is one piece of legislation that touches almost every farm in America, and that’s the farm bill, so it’s time for Congress to get it done.”

The USDA released the July Cattle Inventory and July Cattle on Feed Reports last week. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the two reports offer a good snapshot of the current U.S. cattle industry.

Crop farmers continue to face elevated production costs, lower commodity prices and tight margins – with no relief on the horizon. AFBF analysis projects 2027 will mark a sixth year of negative returns over total costs for most major row crops. Specialty crop farmers are experiencing similar financial strain, facing expected below-breakeven prices and acreage reductions across major fruit, vegetable and tree nut sectors in 2026, even as limited public data make the full scale of losses difficult to measure. At the same time, fertilizer and fuel prices remain volatile, with the Iran conflict adding additional pressure to those markets.

Several years of high inflation and low commodity prices, coupled with volatile production costs, are continuing to squeeze farmers financially. These forces are projected to hit farmers with $32 billion in losses for the major row crops in 2027 after a projected loss of $31 billion in 2026. Fruit, vegetable, nut and other specialty crop farmers faced billions of dollars in losses in 2025, with difficult market conditions continuing throughout 2026.

Since 1982, cropland, pastureland and rangeland have declined, while developed land has increased by nearly 48 million acres (66%), roughly the size of Nebraska.

Acres moving between cropland, pasture and the Conservation Reserve Program may remain connected to agriculture, while land converted to housing, industrial sites, roads or other built uses is far less likely to return to production.

America’s farmers are facing a labor crisis. Continued agriculture workforce shortages threaten farmers’ ability to grow the food families rely on. Many labor challenges are addressed in new legislation introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson. The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 builds on recommendations of the bipartisan Agricultural Labor Working Group and modernizes the H-2A visa program by expanding access to a year-round workforce and eliminating unpredictable swings in wage rates, among other changes.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalizing the registrations of new pesticide products that provide farmers with additional tools to protect their crops.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on President Trump’s executive order to lift countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizers from Morocco through early next year.

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall today applauded the White House request to Congress for more than $11 billion in additional assistance for America's farmers and ranchers, as well as the administration's call for year-round access to E15 fuel.

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall commented on the Senate farm bill discussion draft released today by Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. 

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.

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.