• By Daniel Stephenson and Josh Copes • Glyphosate-resistant Italian ryegrass has been an issue in the mid-South for the past 10 to 15 years. In Louisiana, growers have been battling this pest for five to 10 years, and the problem is spreading each year. Louisiana does not have ryegrass issues like Mississippi, but if control strategies are not implemented, ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Hurricane Laura caused $525.4 million in damage to Louisiana farmers and $1.1 billion to the Louisiana timber industry, according to preliminary estimates by the Louisiana State University AgCenter. Laura devastated 757,538 acres of timber from the southwest to northeast parts of the state, according to a report by AgCenter economist Kurt Guidry and AgCenter forestry ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Rice farmers without electricity across southwest Louisiana are struggling to save their rice crop in storage. Farmer Paul Johnson of Bell City had a good rice crop harvested long before Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana coast Aug. 27. He stored his grain at a dryer facility in Thornwell, but the storm blew parts of the ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Although definitive results won’t be available for a few days, the effects on agriculture appear to be less destructive than most people feared before Hurricane Laura struck, but forests and residences sustained significant damage. Blair Hebert, LSU AgCenter agent for sugarcane in the Bayou Teche area, said cane plants have been blown down, or lodged, ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Farmers are preparing for Hurricane Laura by getting their crops out of the fields and moving livestock away from coastal areas. A previous storm that hit the Cameron Parish coast almost 15 years ago is being used as a reference with expectations Laura will bring a devastating storm surge. “It’s looking like Hurricane Rita,” said ... Read More »
• Richard Bogren • Widespread flooding from Hurricane Laura could affect crawfish production for the upcoming season, but the extent of any damage will depend on whether crawfish producers are able to get the unwanted water off their fields in a timely manner. When storm-related flood waters cover pond levees in July, August or September, crawfish have no choice but ... Read More »
With rice harvest gaining speed in many areas and the crop making rapid progress in others, reports are coming in across the South regarding the strong performance of promising new Horizon Ag Clearfield and Provisia varieties. Farmers are already starting to call to book seed for 2021, said Dr. Tim Walker, Horizon Ag general manager. And the new Clearfield varieties, ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • The harvest for the 2020 rice crop in south Louisiana is nearing the halfway point, and the result is a big improvement over a string of bad to mediocre years. “If these yields hold out, I believe it would tie the second-highest-yielding year, and it still has the potential to be a record if the ... Read More »
The rice field day circuit is different this year, and those of us who try to hit many of them may be having withdrawal symptoms. Sure, these events are a chance learn about the latest research at the various universities or at the California Rice Experiment Station. And with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, universities and the California Rice Experiment Station ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Presentations for the virtual northeast Louisiana row rice field day were released July 27, providing farmers with the latest information from Louisiana State University AgCenter researchers.The complete event is available online at https://bit.ly/LSURowRice. Melissa Cater, director of the AgCenter Northeast Region, credited AgCenter agents Keith Collins and Bruce Garner for their work on the virtual ... Read More »
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