The election may be over, but the push for a new Farm Bill is not. Louisiana Farm Bureau is urging Congress to pass a new Farm Bill and provide immediate aid as Louisiana farmers face a third year of major losses.

This week, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) visited with farmers in Port Allen and Jennings, to discuss the next Farm Bill and what Louisiana’s farmers need to continue feeding our state and the world.

With the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill, Louisiana farmers and ranchers are left without a vital safety net. U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy recently spent some time on the farm and visiting with Louisiana Farm Bureau members to see the challenges facing agriculture firsthand. Cassidy shared his commitment to advocating for a new Farm Bill and additional support through the FARM Act.

Louisiana once had nearly two million acres of cotton, according to LSU. This year, however, only about 120,000 acres of cotton will be harvested in the state. TWILA's Karl Wiggers traveled to Franklin Parish to meet with a young farmer who is still counting on cotton to be king when it comes to his bottom line.

Areas in central and northeast Louisiana saw as much as 10 inches of rain over the first half of September. For soybean farmers still yet to harvest, that was an unwelcome sight as Hurricane Francine made her way through the state. This week, TWILA’s Karl Wiggers takes us to Madison Parish to show us how some of those soybeans, and their owners, are moving forward.

For most farmers, harvest season is typically an exciting time of seeing the fruits of the year’s labor. However, this year is a harsh reminder that the farm economy is in rough shape. That’s why Louisiana Farm Bureau is pushing hard with its members and industry partners for an updated Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill is not just about providing a safety net for farmers; it also funds programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Food banks and food pantries here in Louisiana depend on funding in the Farm Bill to battle ever-growing food deserts. TWILA’s Josh Meeks visited one of the state’s worst food deserts to show us how vital these programs are to the communities they serve.

The current Farm Bill extension, signed into law by the Biden Administration last year, expires on September 30th. Now, some members of Congress say even if a Farm Bill is passed today, it will not be enough to help some farmers. And here in Louisiana, optimism is not running high that Congress can pass a Farm Bill before the November election.

Hurricane Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish on September 11th as a category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. The wind and rain left behind weeks of work for cattle ranchers and sugarcane farmers in the storm’s path.

Corn harvest is wrapping up in Louisiana this week. TWILA's Karl Wiggers traveled to Franklin Parish to check on northeast Louisiana's crop, which is above average, but the price is simply not good.

For most farmers in Louisiana, this year has certainly been better than last year's record setting drought and heat. But it's been a spotty year for rainfall in some areas. This week, TWILA's Neil Melancon takes us to Grant Parish where corn harvest has wrapped up after a tough year.

Hurricane Francine is another reminder that the current safety net supporting farmers is inadequate. The 2018 Farm Bill has already been extended for this year, but that’s set to expire at the end of September. The safety net programs in the current Farm Bill are not enough to help farmers in years with storms, drought, and harsh conditions.

The Farm Bill is a hot topic for both farmers and politicians. After meeting with farmers and ranchers from across the state, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy sat down with Avery Davidson to discuss the process and whether we can expect one this year.

Senator John Boozman, ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, was recently in Louisiana to meet with farmers and ranchers about their Farm Bill needs and priorities. After that meeting, he sat down with Avery Davidson to discuss if and when we can expect a new Farm Bill.