This Week in Louisiana Agriculture
Bringing Louisiana Farmers & Consumers Together Every Week for 40 Years.
Connecting Consumers and Louisiana Agriculture
This Week in Louisiana Agriculture, the creation of former Louisiana Farm Bureau Public Relations Director and TWILA Host Regnal Wallace, is seen on 18 broadcast and cable stations across Louisiana and nationally on RFD-TV. TWILA is one of the longest-running television programs produced in Louisiana.
Each week co-hosts Avery Davidson and Kristen Oaks-White, along with TWILA's team of producers and reporters Neil Melancon, Karl Wiggers and Allie Shipley travel the state telling farmers' stories.
Over the years the show’s content has moved beyond just row crop production to include environmental, legislative and consumer issues. The program was cited by a member of the state’s Senate Ag Committee as a “video lesson on the importance of agriculture.”
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The unofficial start to summer is upon us and you can certainly feel it in this week’s episode of TWILA— from the bugs to farmers markets and wine tastings! Neil Melancon takes us to the USDA Sugarcane Research Facility in Schriever, Louisiana to show the sugarcane borer is something farmers are constantly on the lookout for. Louisiana Farm Bureau National Affairs Director, Andy Brown joins us to explain how crawfish farmers have found some much needed relief after major losses suffered in 2023. Avery Davidson stops by Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry’s office to talk with Dr. Mike Strain about his recent to visit to Cuba and what it could mean for Louisiana agriculture. Josh Meeks takes us to the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge to get a look at what’s in season. Plus, Kristen Oaks-White pours a glass for you in a brand-new Feasting on Agriculture!
From a classroom garden in central Louisiana to shrimp boats in the Gulf, we’re covering some ground in this week’s episode of TWILA! Neil Melancon tells us why tough economic times may mean fewer shrimp boats in Louisiana's waters. In honor of Mental Health Month, Josh Meeks shines a light on the unique struggles farmers and their families face and the resources available to help overcome them. Avery Davidson introduces us to the 2024 Louisiana Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. Before bidding us farewell, Keely Ana Strickland brings us along on the Louisiana Farm-to-School Program Retreat. Karl Wiggers shows us why appreciation was flowing at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee Capitol Day.
Farm Bill, Constitutional Convention, and House Bill 7-16... we’re talking a lot about politics in this week’s episode of TWILA! Governor Jeff Landry stopped by our studio to record an episode of LA Politics Podcast with Jeremy Alford, and discussed how a Constitutional Convention may impact agriculture. Louisiana Farm Bureau Legislative Specialist Joe Mapes gives an update on other bills in Louisiana legislature. Karl Wiggers takes us to Acadia Parish where Congressman Clay Higgins gives a group of local farmers and ranchers an update on the Farm Bill. Josh Meeks introduces us to the new director of the Invasive Species Research Center. Neil Melancon takes us to Fontenot Beef Farm, where beef isn't just what's for dinner, it's a way of life. We also get a look inside Wisner Minnow Hatchery in Franklin Parish. All that plus, a brand-new Farmer’s Forecast from Meteorologist Nick Mikulas and TWILA Boost!
Bee hives, crawfish traps and cattle auctions—that is a taste of what you can expect in this week’s episode of TWILA! Neil Melancon takes us to a Louisiana research facility that is leading the globe in the fight to save bees. Keely Ana Strickland is in Gonzales for the 11th Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Youth Livestock Show. Josh Meeks brings us behind the screens of the annual Superior Livestock Gulf Coast Classic. Karl Wiggers shares what Louisiana 3rd District Congressman Clay Higgins had to say to farmers and ranchers in Acadia Parish earlier this week. And Kristen Oaks-White heads to Crawfish Haven Bed and Breakfast in Kaplan for a brand-new Feasting on Agriculture.
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Usually when we talk about disasters in Louisiana this time of the year it is a hurricane. However, it's the extreme heat and drought wearing on Louisiana farmers. This week we learn how lack of rain and high temperatures are impacting grain crops, sugarcane, timber and cattle in every corner of the state and how farmers can make their voices heard. Plus, we get an update on the upcoming Farm Bill.
This week we take you to the streets of downtown Baton Rouge, the forests of Vernon Parish, and a lot of places in between.
Karl Wiggers shows us how the triple digit temperatures are impacting Louisiana’s beef industry. Trevor Williams takes us to the Red Stick Farmers Market where farmers are bringing their bounty to community tables. Neil Melancon tells us about an archaeological discovery in the forests of Vernon Parish. Plus, we get a behind-the-scenes look at the 2023 Louisiana Harvest.
In this special episode of Louisiana Farm Life, TWILA’s Avery Davidson sits down with third generation farmer and American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and his new bride Jennifer. Zippy tells us about his upbringing family’s dairy farm, and how a conversation with his father grew into a life-long passion for Farm Bureau. They also talk about how Jennifer and Zippy connected after losing their first loves, and the importance of mental health in agriculture.
In this episode, Karl Wiggers sits down with his father, Scott Wiggers. They discuss how Scott was raised on a farm and why he wanted to come back to raise his own family in that same environment. They also discuss how he got involved in Louisiana Farm Bureau, the friends he's made along the way, and how important his wife, Karla, has been to his success on the farm, at home, and in Farm Bureau.
When you think of wine country, I doubt northeast Louisiana is one of the first places that comes to mind. But, Ouachita Parish is quickly becoming a unique, must-see destination for wine lovers in the Bayou State.
This week, I traveled north, to my hometown of Calhoun, LA to visit one of the newest vineyards, growing just miles from my childhood home.
Early Monday morning, I headed south to Kaplan, LA to shoot this week’s Feasting on Agriculture segment, but I had no idea that I would literally be working for my meal!
Barry Toups owns Crawfish Haven/ Mrs. Rose’s Bed and Breakfast and also offers crawfish excursions for his visitors. Nestled in the heart of Cajun Country, Barry says his bed & breakfast is the only place where you can “catch, cook, and sleep!”
It’s finally crawfish season! It’s a time Louisianans start anticipating the moment they take their last bite of crawfish the previous season. But this year there’s a caveat: crawfish is in short supply, and if you are lucky enough to find a sack, the prices are through the roof.
For this month’s “Feasting on Agriculture” segment, we traveled back to Four Oaks Crawfish Farm in Morganza to visit the Frey family and find out why crawfish farmers across the state are facing such an unprecedented situation.
The holidays are a time when many families not only gather around the dinner table but also in the kitchen to prepare meals together. Some of my fondest memories revolve around the kitchen, learning and helping my Mom prepare dishes for our family celebrations.