LSU AgCenter

Feral hogs caused at least $30 million in damage to crops on Louisiana farms in 2013, and Perchville farmer Kurt Sittig estimates he loses anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 or more each year to the prolific animal that has rapidly spread to every corner of the state.

Unusually excessive rainfall and cloudy days have been a challenge for growing rice, but it’s too early to become pessimistic about this year’s crop, according to the director of the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station.

As hurricane season approaches, Louisiana residents can turn to the LSU AgCenter website for tools to determine if they live in a flood zone and how to prevent storm damage. Among the resources are interactive flood maps, which have recently been updated with new features.

Louisiana agriculture as a whole contributed $12.7 billion to the state’s economy in 2014, as reported in the 2014 Ag Summary from the LSU AgCenter, which was released today online.

Rice farmers in south Louisiana have been taking advantage of favorable weather to start their growing season with estimates of more than half the acreage planted.