Citrus trees that survived hurricane damage may have lost significant amounts of foliage. These trees could experience a strong flush as they start their own healing process. This is very important because new foliage will provide nutrients needed for winter survival and faster tree recovery. Producers must implement practices to protect from additional leaf loss which can be caused by the citrus leafminer.

Forestry experts and leaders in the industry say preliminary estimates of the economic devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina exceed $600 million in timber damage and reduced prices for damaged trees.

Southwest and south central Louisiana beef cattle producers have endured a devastating hit from Hurricane Rita. The Louisiana Ag Summary suggests that more than 175,000 cows reside in the parishes that were hardest hit. Saltwater intrusion coupled with fence damage has greatly limited the options for wintering beef cattle in these areas. This article provides various winter options for beef cattle in Louisiana.

Louisiana’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries have been and continue to be severely affected by Hurricane Katrina. Several USDA programs can help agricultural farmers and ranchers begin their recovery from hurricanes.

Obstacles to shipping grain out of the Port of New Orleans because of damages from Hurricane Katrina remain a hindrance for farmers, but encouraging signs emerged Sept. 7.

Many cattle producers in southeastern Louisiana didn’t fare too well as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Observers estimate producers lost at least 80 percent of the cattle in Plaquemines Parish.

While most eyes are focused on New Orleans, the surrounding countryside has suffered a severe blow from Hurricane Katrina that’s expected to affect several Louisiana agricultural commodities.

Farmers attending workshops in Acadia and Calcasieu parishes Tuesday (Oct. 25) learned about assistance for dealing with hardships caused by two hurricanes that struck the state this summer. Similar sessions, organized by the LSU AgCenter, were planned for New Iberia, Hammond and Raceland over the next few days.

The Louisiana Gulf Coast was devastated by urricanes Katrina and Rita and is moving from a rescue-oriented crisis into long-term recovery. If you live in these areas and still need help, or if you can help cattlemen prepare for winter, please read this article for staging information.

Louisiana’s fisheries resources affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita will benefit from fisheries restoration funding in the 2006 Federal Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, according to state officials.

Based on the information known at the time of the storm, and given the historical value of these industries to the state, the AgCenter was able to provide preliminary estimates on losses of revenue due to production losses.

After Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2005, the AgCenter quickly began to assess the damage caused to the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries. Since those initial estimates, the AgCenter has refined its projections and now pegs the total economic impact due losses in revenue and additional production costs at slightly over $1.0 billion.

The dollar amounts, which are estimates of reduced revenue and increased costs, are broken down by storm and commodity. Total estimated costs are also provided.

The capacity of plants to grow satisfactorily in salty conditions depends on a number of interrelated factors. The physiological condition of the plant, its stage of growth, and its rooting habits certainly are among them.

Preliminary estimates of damage to Louisiana commodities caused by Hurricane Rita so far total $507 million, according to an LSU AgCenter report.

Cattle producers along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast are still rounding up their herds, and they are desperate for feed, hay and water for their cattle displaced by Hurricane Rita. The animals have been forced to high ground where little forage remains.

At present, hundreds of Louisiana cattlemen and thousands of cattle need help. Find out how to help and what to donate.

On the eve of the first anniversary of Hurricane Rita, fishermen in Cameron Parish were celebrating the dedication of a new ice plant that will aid in the recovery effort under way in South Louisiana.

A year after being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, southeast Louisiana’s commercial and recreational fishing industries are still in the rebuilding stages – and the pace of progress is dramatically different for each of them.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were not kind to Louisiana’s pecan crop. The projected harvest before the hurricanes was already 40 percent below average, and it’s estimated the hurricanes destroyed half of that amount.

A breeze is blowing through storm-beaten pecan trees in Ben Littlepage’s 300-acre orchard near Colfax. The trees are almost leafless, and there’s about a handful of pecans left on one very large native tree.

Will the South American rice leaf miner be affected by salt water pushed ashore by Hurricane Rita? LSU AgCenter entomologist Dr. Boris Castro said it’s possible the rice pest’s population could have been weakened by the high salinity, but there’s no way of knowing yet.

South Louisiana rice fields contaminated with salt from Hurricane Rita’s storm surge have shown some improvements, although not as much as expected, and salinity levels actually have increased in some sugarcane fields.

With most of the citrus groves in Plaquemines Parish destroyed by last fall’s hurricanes, growers in the Lafourche-Terrebonne area are preparing to fill part of that market niche.

Hurricane Rita destroyed homes, schools and barns when it ripped through Cameron Parish last fall. It also bruised and battered the hopes of hundreds of 4-H’ers looking forward to showing livestock.

Hurricanes Rita and Katrina were not good for the already struggling Louisiana sugarcane industry, but the storms did not do as much damage as growers first anticipated. (TV News 12/12/05. Runtime: 1 minute 25 seconds)

LSU AgCenter researchers are studying the effects of salt water in rice after many fields were flooded during Hurricane Rita. The study started with extensive soil sampling of affected areas. LSU AgCenter agronomist Dr. Gary Breitenbeck explains. (Radio News 12/12/05)

Salt water flowed into sugarcane fields during Hurricane Rita, but the layout of a sugarcane field can be beneficial in ridding the field of salt. LSU AgCenter agronomist Dr. Gary Breitenbeck explains. (Radio News 12/12/05)

The sound of rain falling Wednesday night (Dec. 14) was sweet as a symphony to Gary Wicke, an LSU AgCenter county agent in Cameron Parish. Reducing salt contamination in the marsh from Hurricane Rita will improve chances for cattle forage to regrow. The sooner that happens, the better, Wicke said.

The salt water that washed over coastal areas in Southwestern Louisiana during Hurricane Rita could greatly affect next year’s rice crop. LSU AgCenter agronomist Dr. Gary Breitenbeck says the high salinity levels in rice fields could lead to decreased yields. (Radio News 12/12/05)

LSU AgCenter scientists hope they will soon be able to make recommendations for farmers whose fields were hit with saltwater contamination from Hurricane Rita’s storm surge.

The 2005 Louisiana cotton crop took significant hits when the second hurricane in less than a month roared into the state this past weekend (Sept. 23-25).

Cattle, goats, horses, pigs and sheep surviving Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita are vulnerable to several diseases, including infectious diseases and toxicities, according to a veterinarian with the LSU AgCenter.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns made a brief stop at a storm-damaged farm in Calcasieu Parish Wednesday morning (Oct. 5) to learn how Hurricane Rita devastated the region’s agriculture.

Cattle, rice, sugarcane, crawfish, wildlife and alligators are among many of Hurricane Rita casualties in southwestern Louisiana.

Louisiana seafood products making their way to the market now are safe – despite disruptions and losses the industry suffered as the result of Hurricane Katrina, according to experts at the LSU AgCenter.

Hurricane Rita dealt a second blow to Louisiana’s nursery, landscape and retail garden center businesses, known collectively as the "Green Industry," according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

Louisiana’s nursery, landscape and retail garden center industry has incurred major damage due to the affects of Hurricane Katrina, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

Louisiana citrus is another of the state’s agricultural crops heavily damaged by the hurricanes this year. Officials say some Louisiana citrus will be available despite the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina to southeastern Louisiana, but they warn it will be at a premium.

The LSU AgCenter soon will begin comprehensive tests for salt contamination in areas of Vermilion Parish hit by Hurricane Rita’s storm surge, but officials this week said the problem may not be as bad as originally feared.

There will be trees from the Shady Pond Christmas Tree Farm northeast of New Orleans this year – thanks in large part to some help from fellow growers from North Carolina.

Vermilion Parish rice farmer David Lacour emerged from a rice bin recently, covered in sweat and dust.

The Louisiana sweet potato harvest is under way, and LSU AgCenter experts say the damage from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita appears to be minimal.