(02/25/25) BATON ROUGE, La. — The newest inductees into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction are three people who helped to enhance the state’s agriculture industry through storytelling, reforestation efforts and improving crop genetics. The induction will take place at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge March 6.

The inductees are the late Joe D. Burns, a forester formerly of Jonesboro; the late Mike Danna, longtime Louisiana Farm Bureau public relations director and host of the organization’s long-running television program “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture,” formerly of Baton Rouge; and Steve Harrison, an LSU AgCenter small grains plant breeder from Baton Rouge.

A joint effort of the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Radio Network, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction honors individuals who have made significant contributions to agriculture or agriculture-related industries. Previous inductees have represented farming, ranching, forestry, aquaculture, education and agribusiness.

Burns was born and raised in Webster Parish in the community of Shongaloo. He interrupted his college education to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. He saw action in Germany and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and the Combat Infantry’s Badge for heroism.

Upon his return from the European theater, Burns completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry at LSU. After 12 years working for various companies in the forestry business, Burns launched Burns Forest Products in 1962, a company that helped private landowners manage and sell their timber to mills across north Louisiana.

Burns had the foresight to encourage landowners to replant their forests after harvest to make the practice sustainable and increase their land values for them and future generations.

Danna received a journalism degree from LSU in 1983 and began his career with the News Star World in Monroe. In 1985, he began his tenure with the Louisiana Farm Bureau as editor of “The Louisiana Farm Bureau News.”

Shortly after his start with Farm Bureau, he began reporting for TWILA. In 1997, he took over the role of host, a position he would hold for nearly 20 years.

Danna helped oversee TWILA team reports from 27 different U.S. states and from 15 countries on four continents. The show received six Telly Awards for excellence in television news reporting. He was particularly proud of the coverage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and how each of the storms devastated the Louisiana farming and ranching community. He thought it was important to show and tell the struggles the agriculture communities faced in rebuilding from the two storms.

Danna died in 2015 from esophageal cancer. He was 54 years old.

Harrison began his career with the AgCenter in 1984 after receiving his doctorate from the University of Illinois. The bulk of his work centers around wheat and oat breeding, which involves developing varieties that can be grown in Louisiana and the southeastern U.S.

Under his leadership, a collaborative breeding program was started involving educational institutions across the southeast. Called SunGrains, the program has made the variety development of small grains more efficient and has encouraged the sharing of genetic material.

Harrison also coordinates the United States Department of Agriculture’s International Oat Nursery. This institution serves as an exchange of oat genetic material from more than 20 countries. The nursery is responsible for improving oat breeding programs across the globe.

For more information regarding the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction event, contact Robyn Dow with the Louisiana Radio Network at 225-291-2727 or office@louisianaradionetwork.com.

Joe D. Burns, a forester from Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, will be inducted into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction March 6 at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge. Burns helped make forestry practices more sustainable in Louisiana and was president of the Louisiana Forestry Foundation for more than 30 years. Photo provided by Louisiana Radio Network

Mike Danna will be inducted into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction March 6 at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge. Danna served as public relations director for the Louisiana Farm Bureau and was the host of their award-winning news program “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture.” Photo provided by Louisiana Radio Network

Steve Harrison, LSU AgCenter small grains plant breeder, will be inducted into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction March 6 at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge. Harrison is credited with the release of 34 wheat and oat varieties, three sea oat varieties and six smooth cordgrass cultivars during his 41-year tenure with the AgCenter. Photo provided by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter