Louisiana

Here at USDA, we work every day to help American farmers. It is important to us to hear how we are doing and how we can improve, and that is why I was happy to have the chance to speak with a group of local producers in Louisiana recently. These Rural Roundtable sessions are being held across the...

Recently, about 150 people came out to show their support for the new Hampton Inn & Suites of Marksville at their grand opening in Avoyelles Parish in Louisiana. USDA Rural Development State Director Clarence W. Hawkins joined Thomas G. Christopoulos (owner) along with representatives from Cenla...

The levee along the Mississippi River was busy with activity on Thursday, May 19. USDA Under Secretaries for Rural Development, Dallas Tonsager, and the Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service, Michael Scuse along with Rural Development Louisiana State Director Clarence W...

On February 17, 2009 President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As a result of this Act, two Broadband groundbreaking ceremonies were held in Louisiana during the month of October. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu and USDA Rural Development State Director Clarence W...

Representatives of five rural Louisiana regions participated with USDA Rural Development, Southern Rural Development Center, Louisiana Economic Development, and the AgCenters at Louisiana State and Southern University as they launched the “Stronger Economies Together” (SET) Program. This meeting was...

The Louisiana black bear was once abundant in the Mississippi River Delta. But by the 1950s, the population was severely diminished in Louisiana, mainly due to habitat loss. Luckily, a voluntary land conservation program offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is helping this...

I had the honor of participating in the kick-off of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 12. I say it was an honor because of the importance of the project and the dedication and sincerity of the partners who have come together to make it happen.

Samuel Wall and Russ Mann are Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSI) assigned to the night shift at a poultry plant in Farmerville, LA. They, and thousands of FSIS inspectors in plants across the country, play a vital role in making sure that the food reaching your dinner table is safe. In Sam and Russ’...

I just took part in an exciting event at Brock Elementary School in Slidell, Louisiana. The school proudly hosted a visit by First Lady Michelle Obama on September 8, when she spoke about her Let’s Move! initiative and the importance of a healthy lifestyle for kids. As you can imagine, the school...