Louisiana Farm Bureau Podcast

What happens to a crop after it leaves the farm can be just as important as what happens while it is growing. Avery Davidson sits down at the Port of New Orleans with U.S. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Michael Rutherford, Port NOLA Chief Commercial Officer Kristi App and Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain to follow agriculture from the farm gate to the global marketplace. They discuss the Mississippi River and America’s inland waterways, the growing role of containerized agriculture, the future Louisiana International Terminal, new efforts to improve freight visibility and security, and why every delay, bridge, lock, rail line and port eventually affects the farmer’s bottom line. It is a look at the massive transportation network working behind the scenes to keep Louisiana agriculture — and American agriculture — moving. Show Notes: Host: Avery Davidson Guests: Michael Rutherford Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy U.S. Department of Transportation Kristi App Chief Commercial Officer Port of New Orleans Mike Strain, D.V.M. Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry In This Episode The conversation explores: Why inland waterways remain essential to agricultural exports How transportation costs ultimately affect the farm gate The Mississippi River’s role in connecting the Midwest and Louisiana to global markets How barge, rail, truck and ocean freight work together The growth of containerized agricultural exports Why containers may create new opportunities for smaller agricultural businesses Port NOLA’s Louisiana International Terminal Why larger container vessels are changing port infrastructure Freight Logistics Optimization Works, or FLOW The American Supply Chain Sovereignty Initiative Supply chain security and foreign logistics platforms Why better data can make freight movement more predictable Federal investment in ports, bridges and freight infrastructure The importance of cooperation among agriculture, transportation and port agencies Learn more about the Port of New Orleans Learn more about the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy Learn more about the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Learn more about Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers here Find a Louisiana Farm Bureau office in your parish here. Become a member of Louisiana Farm Bureau today.

Kam Harper grew up on a cotton farm, but his road back to agriculture took him through the Marine Corps, law enforcement and an unexpected business opportunity. In this episode of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Podcast, Karl Wiggers visits the Franklin Parish farmer and owner of Macon Ridge Specialty Drones to discuss how a magazine article sparked a spray drone business and how a conversation with a longtime farmer opened the door to farming for himself. Along the way, Kam shares how faith, family and his agricultural community keep him going through the toughest days. Show Notes: Learn more about Macon Ridge Specialty Drone Services. Here's the first story I did with Kam in 2023 about the new drone business. A recent story with Kam Harper about the 2026 crop -- Second-Chance Corn: Northeast Louisiana Farmer Harvests Replanted Crop. Learn more about Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers here Find a Louisiana Farm Bureau office in your parish here. Become a member of Louisiana Farm Bureau today.

Louisiana duck hunters have a new opportunity this October, and concerns from rice farmers helped move the conversation forward. On this episode of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Podcast, Karl Wiggers visits with Vermilion Parish rice farmer Allen McLain, Louisiana Farm Bureau Commodity and Public Policy Director Andy Brown, and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Waterfowl Program Manager Jason Olszak. They explain how black-bellied whistling ducks damage young rice, why grain facilities have raised concerns of their own, and how farmers, researchers and wildlife officials have worked together to address the issue. The conversation covers Louisiana’s new experimental hunting season, why it took years of coordination and how hunter participation and reporting can help shape what comes next. The guests also discuss the connection between productive rice farms and healthy waterfowl habitat. Show Notes: LDWF: Special black-bellied whistling duck season announcement — Official announcement and season details. LDWF: Season information and free permit — Primary listener resource for participating. Louisiana Outdoors — Licensing portal mentioned in the episode. LSU AgCenter: Impacts of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks on the Louisiana Rice Industry — Producer survey relevant to Andy’s discussion, with the complete report available to download. Louisiana 2026–2027 Hunting and WMA Regulations — Full regulations. Become a member of Louisiana Farm Bureau today.

Louisiana is Sportsman’s Paradise, and Hunters for the Hungry Louisiana is giving hunters and fishermen another way to put that tradition to work. Host Avery Davidson sits down with Hunters for the Hungry Louisiana Executive Director Julie Grunewald to talk about how the organization turns donated deer, hogs, fish and other protein into meals for people in need. Julie explains the upcoming Clean Out Your Freezer Day, how hunters can donate freshly harvested game at participating processors at no cost to them, and how those donations are kept as local as possible to help feed neighbors in communities across Louisiana. Show Notes: Hunters for the Hungry Louisiana - https://www.h4hla.org/ Clean Out Your Freezer Day — Aug. 23, 2026 - https://www.h4hla.org/freezer-day Find a participating deer or hog processor - https://www.h4hla.org/processors Find a Louisiana Farm Bureau office in your parish here. Become a member of Louisiana Farm Bureau today.

When a member of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s staff asked to learn more about Louisiana cattle production, Louisiana Farm Bureau knew exactly where to take him. Then Johnson noticed the visit on his calendar and asked to come along. In this episode, Karl Wiggers talks with Andy Brown, director of Commodity and Public Policy at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, about the resulting roundtable at Marty Wooldridge’s farm near Oil City. Brown explains how farmers used the opportunity to discuss high input costs, difficult commodity markets, trade, forestry, poultry, livestock disaster programs and the stalled farm bill. The conversation also offers a behind-the-scenes look at grassroots advocacy and why relationships built long before a major policy vote can give Louisiana farmers a meaningful seat at the table. Show Notes: Watch the related TWILA story about Speaker Johnson’s farm visit here. Read Andy Brown’s USA Rice Daily article about the meeting. Learn more about Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers here Find a Louisiana Farm Bureau office in your parish here. Become a member of Louisiana Farm Bureau today.