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Give popcorn a try for a different Valentine's treat

Fri, 01/22/2021 - 8:31am

By THE POPCORN BOARD

The “Rocky Road to Your Love” is one of a kind, so why settle for the same old flowers and candy this Valentine’s Day?
Instead, deliver a bouquet of flavor with delicious Rocky Road Popcorn Clusters.
Packed with texture and taste — sweet, salty, creamy, smooth — this easy-to make confection is sure to delight your sweetheart’s senses. And, because they’re made with popcorn — a healthful whole grain naturally low in fat — these treats are one little indulgence with a heart-healthy core.
Put them in a pretty patterned tin or wrap them in wax paper and tuck them in a gift bag. This recipe also makes a great after-school project for kids. Just make sure an adult supervises the microwave, and young chefs will have a blast cooking up some love for mom and dad.
If allergies are an issue, simply omit the walnuts. Best of all, you can whip up a batch in just 15 minutes — which leaves you plenty of time to compose the perfect love poem!
Visit www.popcorn.org for more recipes including this one. For a video version of this recipe visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I8S0XjRB2k.
ROCKY ROAD POPCORN CLUSTERS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
1 bag (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vegetable oil
4 cups popped popcorn
1½ cups miniature marshmallows
¾ cup chopped walnuts
Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl.
Heat in microwave on HIGH 1 minute, until melted. Stir in oil and mix well.
Place popcorn, marshmallows and walnuts in large bowl. Pour chocolate over mixture, tossing to coat.
Drop mixture by tablespoonful onto wax paper-lined jellyroll pan.
Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
Makes about 3 dozen

Son-in-law’s distraction could be more than ordinary forgetfulness

Fri, 01/22/2021 - 8:29am

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: I’m responding to the letter from “Open-and-Shut Case in Virginia” (Oct. 20), who complained her son-in-law was “disrespectful” because he didn’t close cupboard doors, cereal boxes, etc. My guess is that “Kirk” is displaying classic symptoms of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. Multistep tasks may be difficult for him to complete because he is easily distracted.
My husband has this. (It was not diagnosed until he was in his 50s, and I had nearly torn all my hair out.) He still occasionally leaves cabinet doors and drawers open. I tease him that he can’t remember to walk from one side of the room to another if he forgets to take his medication.
I strongly recommend that Kirk be evaluated by a behavioral psychologist for AADD. Treatment may save the relationship between Kirk and his in-laws.
WIFE OF A MAN WITH AADD

DEAR WIFE: Thank you for your letter. I received a deluge of responses about the letter from “Open-and-Shut Case in Virginia,” and the vast majority of the writers mentioned ADD, ADHD and AADD.
Many of them recommended patience on the part of the in-laws and volunteered that Kirk may be able to manage the disorder if he is diagnosed.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 73-year-old retired woman who still maintains contact with a number of old and new friends for movies, dinner, museum visits, etc. Until the COVID virus, we did things often. Now, not so much.
Someone in this group told me that on a couple of occasions, a few of them were not very nice when my name came up. (“Why doesn’t she see her grandkids more often?” “She goes out more than most, yet doesn’t want to eat in certain restaurants.”) My husband and I have a good marriage, but many of these ladies are widowed or divorced. How do you handle backstabbing at this age?
MYSTIFIED IN NEW YORK

DEAR MYSTIFIED: Try not to take it personally. Obviously, these gossips have less to occupy their minds than one would hope.
You might also consider seeing these particular individuals even less often than you already do in the age of COVID. If you do, it may give them less ammunition concerning what you do (or don’t do) with your time.

DEAR ABBY: I began using a wheelchair two years ago. Since then a dear friend of roughly 30 years has become fixated on my disability.
While we once shared a deep, close “BFF” relationship, she now speaks to me in baby talk and only shows an interest in my physical limitations. I feel objectified, hurt and disappointed.
I have mentioned to her that I prefer to focus on other things in life, and she responds with platitudes like, “The body is just a shell,” and “All that matters is the heart,” but her actions tell me otherwise.
I hate to end this friendship, but I am at the end of my rope. Any advice?
PATRONIZED IN ARIZONA

DEAR PATRONIZED: If you haven’t done it already, tell this person that you no longer wish to discuss your disability and you prefer she stop raising the subject and treating you differently. Period.
If she continues to pursue the subject after that, make your visits less frequent, if they happen at all.
***
To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

Letter: Pro-life event set for Saturday

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 3:29pm

On Saturday, Jan. 23, Louisiana Right to Life is inviting pro-lifers all across the state to social-distantly stand for life as the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade passes. From 9 -10 a.m., a Roe v. Wade Memorial Program on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol will be broadcast on social media (@LaRighttoLife) and other outlets, featuring praise and worship, heartfelt testimonies, prayer and reflection. Because of current COVID-19 restrictions, only 500 people who have RSVP’d will be allowed to attend in person. After watching the program at home, pro-life people all across Louisiana will proceed to their local Stand for Life, Louisiana event where they will form a “life chain” by social-distantly standing next to each other holding signs (homemade and/or printed) with pro-life messages.
The citizens of St. Mary Parish have the opportunity to stand in solidarity with the Baton Rouge participants on that same Saturday, Jan. 23, in Patterson from 1-2 p.m. at the corner of U.S. 90 and Wise Street.
Louisiana Right to Life works to protect unborn life because we know that life begins at the moment of fertilization and that an unborn child has a heartbeat only 18 days after conception.
The unborn child is arguably the most vulnerable member of our society because he or she cannot speak for themselves. We believe it is our responsibility to be their voice.
Science is conclusive on when life begins, and remarkably we can see for ourselves the development of a baby inside the womb through ultrasound technology. In the womb, unborn babies are known for smiling, sucking their thumb and even hiccuping before making their grand entrance into the world.
Since 1970, we have made Louisiana one of the most pro-life states in the nation. Whether in classrooms, in the halls of the Legislature, or anywhere else in Louisiana, we strive to advance a culture of life.

Angela B. Stelly
Member, LA RTL

Central Catholic player is honorable mention All-State

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 2:04pm

Central Catholic had an honorable mention selection on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 1A All-State football team.
Senior Hugh Hamer made the squad, which was released in newspapers across the state, including The Advocate.
In the Eagles’ six-game season, Hamer rushed 36 times for 217 yards and six touchdowns, caught 22 passes for 247 yards and two scores and had a kickoff-return average of 74.5 yards with one touchdown.
“I thought he had a really good year, considering we only got six games in,” Central Catholic coach Tommy Minton said. “He’s one of those guys that loves football, and you can just tell by the way he practices every day and by the way he plays every single play with just so much heart and intensity that he loves the game.”
Minton said Hamer was a leader because of how he played the game.
“We put the ball in his hands a good bit because he was making big plays for us this year,” the coach said.
Hamer’s All-State honor comes after he earned first-team All-District 8-1A honors as a utility selection on offense and a return specialist on defense.
On the all-state team, Calvary Baptist junior quarterback Landry Lyddy is the Outstanding Offensive Player, while Oak Grove senior defensive back Bud Holloway is the Outstanding Defensive Player. Jeff Wainright of Division IV finalist Grand Lake is Coach of the Year.
Other representatives from District 8-1A who earned honorable mention all-state honors were as follows: Covenant Christian’s Malachi Ayo; Vermilion Catholic’s Saul Dartez, Ashton Belaire, John Robert Allums, Jude Roger and Drew Lege; and Highland Baptist’s Myles Liggans.

John Flores: La. waterfowl hunters should be ready for changes

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 2:00pm

JOHN FLORES

I moved to the state of Louisiana 37 years ago, and as a result of that decision became an avid duck hunter, never missing a season. The thing about growing old, depending on how long you live, you have history that often spans a couple generations.
In any span of time, you see things and learn things. Your beliefs change. And sometimes change is hard.
After annually reading statistics, reviewing biological studies, and covering stories in the field where I’ve gotten firsthand information through interviews from professionals, I believe it’s possible the glory days of duck hunting may be behind us.
That’s not to say limits won’t be had going forward. Some guys always seem to find the “X” where ducks want to be. What I mean is simply there are real factors scientifically proven that seem to point out there are fewer ducks migrating to our state for the winter.
Point of fact, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has conducted Mid-winter Surveys annually for over two decades. Based on that data, during the five-year period from 1996-2000, Louisiana on the average wintered 60% of all ducks in the Mississippi Flyway. Statistically, 60% reflected 3.820 million ducks.
However, from the most recent five-year period, 2016-2020, the data revealed only 40% of all Mississippi Flyway ducks now winter in Louisiana. That’s the data. The anecdotal seems to reflect the science.
Hunter Andras, a Chackbay resident and avid duck hunter, hunted public land 95% of the time throughout Louisiana this season. Through this week, Andras says he has made a total of 27 hunts with one weekend left to go that he plans to spend hunting ducks in Oklahoma.
Andras said, “This season has been a head-scratcher for sure. It started out strong and slowly declined. We harvested more quality big ducks, but the numbers were not abundant. Even though last year was the largest decline I’ve ever seen in numbers, this year exceeded that. It honestly looks like migration patterns are changing and birds are not pushing south like they need to.”
This week, I made a hunt with Bill Lake, owner/operator of Bayou Guide Service. Lake fishes from spring to fall, but winters he spends duck hunting in the marsh south of Gibson. One of the things he pointed out was the lack of subaquatic grass. Normally, the ponds in the marsh he hunts is carpeted with thick vegetation. The absence of plant-life in some areas seems to be a result of a record number of hurricanes this past year.
Lake and I limited on our hunt, but one thing stood out. Every duck we killed was a Ring-necked Duck, which are a beautiful diving duck species.
During the December aerial survey conducted by the LDWF, the department estimated some 2.21 million ducks in the state. That number was 14% below last year’s December survey and 21% below the long-term December average of 2.79 million ducks.
What’s interesting is, of the 943,000 ducks estimated in the southeastern part of the state during December’s aerial survey, 605,000 or nearly two thirds were diving ducks. Much of the southeast during the glory years was considered dabbling duck territory, where Mallards, Widgeon, Green Winged Teal and Gadwall were abundant. That has now changed where Ring-necked Ducks, Scaup and Canvasback are abundant in the region.
Morgan City resident Mike Helper is yet another passionate duck hunter. Helper hunts private land between the Atchafalaya River and Wax Lake Outlet. Helper mentions he has had above average teal seasons the last two years because they have had significant amounts of natural forage. However, he says due to multiple hurricanes this past year they lost 95% of the aquatic grasses in their ponds.
Helper says he was able to be successful by finding food sources, hunting the flyways ducks were using to get there, and using large spreads of decoys. The tactic paid off where he was able to “pick off” a few ducks.
Helper said, “On days with fronts pushing through I’d change patterns to north to south flyways and hunt birds passing though large decoy spreads. We mainly killed Blue Winged Teal, Gadwall and Mallards were second, and Green Winged Teal were third.”
Another statistic, where ducks are concerned, is wintering Mallards. During the 1996-2000 Mid-Winter Survey, 29% of Mallards in the Mississippi Flyway wintered in Louisiana. In the most recent 2016-2020 survey, only 6.9% of the Mississippi Flyway Mallards now winter in Louisiana.
The LDWF Wildlife Management Areas Hunter Participation/Harvest Summaries from the Atchafalaya Delta opening days of November and December’s first and second duck season splits reflect these low Mallard numbers.
Back in November on opening day there were 496 actual bag checks conducted by LDWF biologists. Mallards made up a paltry 2% of the ducks harvested. On opening day of December’s second split, where 138 bag checks were conducted, 8% of the ducks harvested were Mallards.
Though there was a slight improvement from November to December with only 1.3 birds harvested per hunter on opening day of the second split, essentially only 10 or 12 ducks bagged were Mallards.
Low waterfowl numbers aren’t limited to ducks. Greater White-fronted Geese or speckle belly numbers have also been in decline.
Mid-winter surveys of White-fronted Geese during the 1996-2000 five-year average indicated 80% of this species made Louisiana their winter home. However, the most recent 2016-2000 survey revealed only 18% of speckle bellies winter in Louisiana.
Outfitters like John Saucier, owner/operator of Sportsman Charters in Gueydan, have been highly impacted by these precipitous declines. This year has been no exception.
Saucier said, “It’s been a tough year for sure. It’s been up and down. I think a lot of factors hurt us this year. For one, the main reason I think is the 16-day Arkansas early speckle belly season that started Oct. 31 and ran through Nov. 16. That change really crippled us if you ask me — on geese anyway.
“Other factors are Sabine being closed,” Saucier continued. “Nobody really knows what we have. That’s over 100,000 acres. Our birds are so much smarter when they get south of Arkansas. And, I would say it’s because of pressure. I’ve been doing this a while now and our numbers are down 25%.”
Other changes that have occurred over the 37 years I’ve hunted ducks and geese in Louisiana have to do with agriculture, coastal land loss, hurricanes and hunting pressure.
When I made my first goose hunt in Louisiana over 25 years ago, there were rice fields from Erath all the way to Lake Charles. Now sugarcane is on the doorstep of Gueydan — the “Duck Capital of America.” Sugarcane has no redeeming wildlife advantages as a crop.
Another issue is coastal land loss. In spite of strides being made to reduce wetland loss using BP Horizon Oil Spill money, Louisiana’s coastline is still imperiled.
Lake pointed out small islands on the marsh he hunts that continue to get smaller and smaller with each passing year. The impact of coastal flooding from storm surge and saltwater intrusion continues to plague our coastline.
Hunting pressure and climate change are also factors that have impacted migration patterns. Ducks need a place to eat, preen and rest. Areas with high pressure cause ducks to change migration patterns.
While hunting ducks and geese in Oklahoma during New Year’s weekend, one of the guides told us they haven’t really seen a big push of ducks from further north yet. This surprised me, since we were 600 miles northwest of my home in Louisiana. He was talking about birds coming down from Kansas and Nebraska.
Essentially, big quality ducks such as Mallards, Gadwall, Widgeon and Pintails were still being harvested well north of us, with only a few weeks left in our Louisiana duck season.
Andras said, “I’m really hoping for a pattern change even if it’s 10-years down the road to teach my kids the traditions I learned. But, it’s hard to predict if we will ever have the glory days we’ve all had a chance to experience.”
Where ducks are concerned, times have changed for Louisiana’s waterfowl hunters. Whether or not things get worse in years to come remains to be seen. One thing for sure, they better get used to change.

Teche Action Clinic gets funding for hypertension treatment

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 1:53pm

GEOFF STOUTE

gstoute@daily-review.com

Teche Action Clinic has received supplemental funding totaling more than $130,000 to treat patients with hypertension.
The $132,480 in funding was announced in a release Tuesday from the office of U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Center Cluster Program.
Teche Action Clinic CEO Dr. Gary Wiltz said a statistical analysis was conducted on the number of patients the clinic treated for hypertension.
“That was one of the priorities, to try to target that population to get them under better control,” Wiltz said.
The funding will be used for various aspects of treating hypertension, Wiltz said. Education, the importance of diet, following medicine guidelines and monitoring blood pressure are aspects targeted with the funding. The clinic is looking to use some of the money to invest in remote patient monitoring devices.
Wiltz said the devices would assist in making better decisions on hypertension patients’ health because additional data would be available to be examined rather than just one blood pressure reading taken during a doctor’s visit every few months.
“So the more I can get you involved in checking your blood pressure correctly and keeping a log, then we can look at the average blood pressure readings,” he said.
The pandemic ushered in more ways to provide healthcare to the public, Wiltz said, and people are becoming more active in their healthcare needs.
According to the American Heart Association’s website, 34.1% of Louisiana adults suffer from high blood pressure.
Teche Action Clinic is one of three agencies in Higgins’ district who will receive funding. Iberia Comprehensive Community Health Center has been awarded $271,680, while SWLA Center for Health Services will receive $199,500.
“Louisiana’s community health centers are critical providers of primary care services in our rural and underserved areas,” Higgins said in a release announcing the funding. “These investments help our local health centers perform and enable them to continue providing quality care for our communities.”

Legislative panel lowers revenue estimate, predicts slow recovery

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 1:47pm

SARAH PROCOPIO, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE--A cautious revenue forecast was adopted by a panel of state leaders Tuesday as they set income projections used to create the state’s budget.
While the forecast for fiscal year 2022 adopted by the Revenue Estimating Conference predicted a slow economic recovery and more money into the state coffers, it also predicted there will be $228 million less for the state than previously forecast.
Tax collections from the next fiscal year, which starts June 30, will increase by almost $115 million from the projected total for this year. However, that will not be enough to offset the loss of almost $800 million in federal funds. In addition, $90 million from the state rainy day fund used to patch up holes in the previous budget will not be available.
The panel has four members: Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, Senate President Page Cortez, House Speaker Clay Schexnayder and independent economist Stephen Barnes of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
“This has been a historically tumultuous time for the state,” said Barnes. “We’re still looking at a lot of uncertainty.”
Some of that uncertainty involves how the latest federal coronavirus relief package, which will provide Louisiana with at least $2 billion in aid, can be used to fill in the budget. The panel is awaiting rules on how that money and an upcoming relief bill proposed by the incoming Biden administration can be used.
A lot of that money will be dedicated to health care, K-12 and higher education and rent assistance.
“We’re hopeful that there will be some relief from the federal government and get some additional CARES-like money we can use to help build the budget, but we can’t assume we’ll have that money,” said Dardenne, the governor’s appointee to the panel.
There was disagreement over which revenue forecast should be adopted, with the panel initially split over more optimistic estimates provided by Legislative Fiscal Office economist Greg Albrecht and Division of Administration economist Manfred Dix.
Albrecht said he does not expect the state to return to pre-COVID revenue growth levels until 2023 or 2024. Dix’s figures were a little more optimistic given the expected vaccine distribution ramp-up over the next few months.
Members of the panel were split on which economist’s estimates to adopt. Cortez and Schexnayder, both Republicans, pushed for the more conservative estimates while economist Barnes sided with Dardenne to adopt Dix’s numbers. Required to make decisions unanimously, the panel agreed to the more conservative estimates in an effort to avoid a deadlock.
“We’ve gone through a period of time where we didn’t have forecasts, and I definitely want to make sure we have a legitimate forecast going forward that reflects current numbers,” said Dardenne.
Before the current House and Senate leaders came in, the estimating conference experienced partisan-fueled impasses in trying to adopt revenue projections.

ROY LEE AUSTIN

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 1:30pm

January 26, 1957 — January 18, 2021
Roy Lee Austin, 63, of Lexington, Mississippi was called to his heavenly home on January 18, 2021 surrounded by his family and friends. Roy was born January 26, 1957 in Morgan City, Louisiana to Alton Roy Austin and Beverly Lee Austin and was the oldest of three children. Roy graduated from Morgan City High School as Valedictorian in 1975 and graduated from LSU in 1979. Roy was a devoted LSU fan. Roy started his accounting career in New Orleans, Louisiana at Arthur Anderson Accounting Firm. Roy retired from Entergy as a State and Local Tax Manager, CPA January 31, 2020. He was known as “The Man, The Myth and The Legend” by his friends and co-workers at Entergy.
Roy loved doing genealogy research for his family and help others find their family genealogy. Roy was an avid reader, loved entertaining, traveling and cooking for a large crowd. Roy even became trained as a Girl Scout cook so he could go to his daughter, Ashley’s Girl Scout campouts. Roy was co-leader with his wife Cherie for Ashley’s troop in Houston, Texas and lead the troop to complete their Gold Award. Roy moved to many different locations during his career and always made friends with his new church family. Roy and Cherie moved to Lexington, Mississippi in July 2020 to retire among friends of Sand Hill Road. Roy served the Lord Jesus Christ in life and in the different churches he attended working with children as an ordained deacon.
Roy was preceded in death by his mother, Beverly Lee Austin.
Roy is survived by his wife of 39 years, Cherie Monnerjahn Austin of Lexington, Mississippi and daughter, Ashley (Carey) Keller of San Antonio, Texas. His dad, Alton Roy Austin of Morgan City, two brothers, Curtis (Lori) Austin of Woodlands, Texas and Jerry Austin of Morgan City. His grandchildren, Zoe and Jeremiah Keller of San Antonio, Texas. His aunt, Ann Lee of Silverthorne, Colorado, and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins whom he dearly loved. Family was extremely important to Roy.
Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church of Lexington, Mississippi. Funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. at the church with Rev. Gene Richards officiating.
A second visitation will be held at Evergreen Baptist Church near Bernice, Louisiana from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Services will follow at the graveside with Rev. Larry White officiating Evergreen Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family would like to thank the staff of St. Dominic Hospital for their loving care during Roy’s final weeks due to Covid pneumonia.
In lieu of flowers a donation to an animal rescue of your choice or Coco House Rescue, PO Box 721314, Byram, MS 39272. Roy loved all the many dogs he adopted.
Southern Funeral Home of Lexington, Mississippi is in charge of arrangements.

87 new confirmed COVID cases in local parishes

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 1:23pm

Eighty-seven new confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death probably related to COVID were reported for three local parishes in the 24 hours ending at midday Thursday.

Assumption Parish has 29 confirmed cases for a total of 1,338 since the pandemic began, and 350 more cases are listed as probable. The death probably related to COVID was reported in Assumption, where 24 confirmed deaths and three probable COVID fatalities have been recorded.

St. Mary has 32 new confirmed cases for a total of 3,072 with 561 probable. The St. Mary death toll remains at 97 confirmed with 10 probable.

St. Martin has 26 new confirmed cases for a total of 4,092 with 350 probable, and the death toll stays at 90 with nine probable.

Statewide:

--3,856 new cases make the confirmed pandemic total 332,973 confirmed with 45,345 probable.

--59 new fatalities bring the death toll to 7,928 confirmed with 514 probable.

--58 fewer COVID-positive people are in hospitals, lowering the total to 1,800.

--10 fewer people are on ventilators for a total of 233.

LSU AgCenter: Strawberry crop coming early, looking good

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 8:15am

By JOHNNY MORGAN, LSU AgCenter

BATON ROUGE — Despite the recent cold snap, Louisiana strawberries are coming in at a steady clip.
LSU AgCenter agent Mary Helen Ferguson said the producers are off to a good start this season, with no extreme temperatures so far.
“You should be able to find berries at a few locations now and that will increase over the coming weeks,” she said. “The growers I’ve talked to seem pretty satisfied with how things are going.”
Experts with the AgCenter say favorable weather and new strawberry varieties are helping farmers start bringing the crop in earlier than in past years.
In the past, when the farmers planted different varieties, they normally would start to pick in January or February and expect the crop to last from six weeks to two months. But with the new varieties they now plant, the farmers start picking in November and expect to have strawberries through mid-May.
Independence grower Dale Carona said he’s been in the strawberry business since 1985 and is continuing a family tradition that he began with his father until he retired.
He said many local growers start picking a few berries around Thanksgiving, but it’s not many. They normally see an increase in January, but that depends on what the low temperatures are.
“The recent cold snap shouldn’t be enough to cause much damage,” he said. “But once the temperature gets down to 15 and 16 degrees, that hurts us four to six weeks down the road.”
That’s because it takes 21 days from flower to berry. So if the growers lose all of their flowers and berries at this time, then they will not have another crop for 21 days, he said.
This also means growers won’t have any income during that time. In addition, cold weather adds to growers’ expenses because they have to cover the rows to try to protect the plants and possibly apply water at night.
Strawberry farmers start planting their crop in late September or early October and are at the height of production from March to May.
The number of growers in the state continues to dwindle, Ferguson said. “We have about 10 or 11 growers in Tangipahoa Parish that I’m aware of, and about five in Livingston Parish.”
“I’m not aware of any major problems with the crop so far this season,” she added. “The growers I’ve talked to seem pretty satisfied with how things are going.”
Louisiana’s climate allows growers who cover their plants with row covers on cold nights to pick some berries, during what would otherwise be the off-season.
“Strawberry plants are cold hardy enough to tolerate even the coldest temperatures we typically experience, but open flowers are killed at temperatures a little below freezing,” she said. “Covering the plants on cold nights allows flowers to survive and produce fruit.”
Strawberry production in the state has been on the decline for the past decade, mainly due to a shortage of labor, urbanization and farmers advancing in age.
According to the LSU AgCenter’s 2018 Louisiana Summary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Louisiana strawberry industry involved 47 commercial growers who produced berries on 218 acres for a gross farm value of $8.74 million.